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The ugly side of the Miss Florida/Miss Florida Teen Pageants
July 14, 2008

On July 12 contestants from around the state gathered to compete for the title of Miss Florida USA, and ARFF was there to greet them (see below). What were the lucky winners of the pageant entitled to? The skins of a dead animal.

The Fur Information Council of America (FICA) is a long-time sponsor of Miss Florida USA and its sister pageant, Miss Florida Teen USA. The Miss Florida USA website features contestants modeling fur coats designed by FICA, who claim fur is “the fabric of choice.” Those who wear fur trim and fur coats are certainly making a choice– to have the blood of mink, foxes and other animals on their hands.

With more than enough warm and beautiful alternatives available, the fur industry’s brutal slaughter of millions of animals each year is needless. Furthermore, Miss Florida USA’s continued support of this barbaric trade is unacceptable and brings shame to the pageant as well as the participants.

Contact Miss Florida USA/Miss Florida Teen USA and let them know that you are disappointed that the Fur Information Council of America is a sponsor of the pageants. Ask them not to include fur in future pageants.

Contact:
Grant & Mary Lou Gravitt, Pageant Producers
Miss Florida USA / Miss Florida Teen USA
2040 Sherman Street
Hollywood, FL 33020
Phone: (954) 924-4949
Fax: (954) 924-4980
E -mail: info@missfloridausa.com, info@missfloridateenusa.com

ARFF held a demonstration outside the pageant in Davie, Florida. Mark your calendars and plan to join us as we speak out against fur at the Miss Florida Teen USA pageant on October 5, 2008.

With the help of dedicated members like you, ARFF's circus awareness campaign is one of our largest year-round efforts. Although crowd numbers at circuses such as Ringling Brothers, Cole Bros. and the Shriners have continually dwindled, one of the most critical audiences still needs to be addressed proactively and on a collective level.

Every year schools around the state are approached by animal circuses offering free or discounted tickets to be distributed to families or to be used for field trips. As it becomes increasingly difficult for circuses to attract substantial audiences, they rely on field trips and free ticket giveaways to keep their shows on the road.

Far from educational
What you witness during the circus are broken-spirited animals, robbed of their freedom and intimidated into performing stressful stunts. Not only are animal circuses an inappropriate outing for school children, they are a dangerous environment due to the threat of rampages and disease.

These cruel and archaic events teach children that animals are property, to be used as we please with no concern for the physical and psychological impact. Children should be encouraged to enjoy animals behaving true to their nature, rather than performing for human amusement.

You Can Help
Please contact ARFF for information about contacting your local school district to voice your disapproval of animal circus promotions.

We need your help to stop Orlando's plans to import non-native birds to be used as decorations
May 13, 2008

Last month, a pair of Whooper Swans (the national bird of Finland) arrived at the Orlando airport in the cargo hold of a Delta jet. The birds are destined for a park in downtown Orlando, and could be joined over the next few months by many others. As part of a plan hatched by Orlando's Parks Division and a local group of swan fanciers, by the end of the year individuals from every species of swans— including trumpeter swans, the Black-necked Swan (native to South America), the Bewick's Swan (found in Russia and China), and the Tundra Swan— will be purchased and flown into Orlando for display. We think this is a horrible idea.

Our concerns about plans to import additional swans to Lake Eola include:

• Swans native to Europe, South America and Russia will be introduced into the Florida ecosystem. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission considers at least two of the swan species to be exotic species potentially harmful to native waterfowl.

• Swans at urban lakes often suffer from an inadequate diet. Despite educational efforts to the contrary, it is common for swans to be fed food that is unhealthy. At Lake Eola, we have witnessed people swans everything from white bread to Cheetos. (Lake Eola has had a small population of swans for years.)

• Swans with little fear of humans are also susceptible to human cruelty. Elsewhere in Florida, swans have fallen prey to feral cats, dogs and alligators, and suffered injuries from fishing hooks and golf balls. At Lake Morton in Lakeland, a city well-known for its swans, swans have been killed by speeding cars, shot with pellet guns and attacked by drunken college students. Lake Eola’s current population of swans has not been immune to problems. Earlier this year, media reported on the disappearance of four baby swans at Lake Eola.

• Swans used for display are cruelly denied their natural behaviors. To keep the newly-arrived swans from leaving Lake Eola Park, their wings will be clipped, a permanent amputation that prevents them from flying. Birds that were born to fly great distances instead will remain flightless.

You Can Help
Fortunately, it may not be too late to stop this silly plan. Please contact the City of Orlando and urge them to halt plans to import additionals swans to Lake Eola.

Lisa Early, Director
Families, Parks & Recreation Department - City of Orlando
Phone: (407) 246-4320
E-Mail: lisa.early@cityoforlando.net

City Commissioner Patty Sheehan
 *Lake Eola is in Commissioner Sheehan's Distict
Phone: (407) 246-2004
E-mail: patty.sheehan@cityoforlando.net

Update: June 1, 2008: It's been six weeks and 13 of the 15 monkeys who made a bold escape from Safari Wild are still on the loose. Meanwhile, Polk County officials have ordered the owners of Safari Wild to stop construction after it was discovered that buildings on the property were "more substantial" than what they had approved. The State of Florida is also investigating whether the county allowed the environmentally-sensitive land to be developed without state approval.

Monkeys on the loose
A troupe of patas monkeys escaped on April 19 from a new animal attraction called Safari Wild, north of Lakeland.

Home for the monkeys had been an island surrounded by a moat on the property. According to an article in the Tampa Tribune, "On Saturday, a female with a baby on her back went into the water and swam across. The rest of the troupe followed." Lex Salisbury, Safari Wild's president, said he thought the water would be enough of a barrier to keep the monkeys confined. But the monkeys not only weren't afraid of going in the water, they also climbed over two fences to make their escape into rural Polk County. The incident should be a wake-up call for Safari Wild's neighbors.

When he is not working to expand his private collection of exotic animals, Lex Salisbury* keeps busy as the President/CEO of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. Salisbury has stated that his plans for Safari Wild include giraffes, zebras and even elephants. (The facility could also be a dumping ground for Lowry Park Zoo's surplus animals.)

You Can Help
Please contact the Polk County Commission and urge them— for the welfare of animals and the safety of the public— to take a close look at Lex Salisbury's plans for Safari Wild. In light of the recent escape, perhaps a new zoo is not the best thing for the county.

Contact:
Commissioner Sam Johnson (Chairman)
E-mail: samjohnson@polk-county.net

Commissioner Jean Reed (Vice Chairman)
E-mail: jeanreed@polk-county.net

Commissioner Bob English
E-mail: bobenglish@polk-county.net

Commissioner Randy Wilkinson
E-mail: randywilkinson@polk-county.net

Commissioner Jack Myers
E-mail: jackmyers@polk-county.net

For more information about Lex Salisbury and the Lowry Park Zoo, we recommend visiting Tampa's Zoo Advocates, a very informative website maintained by a former zoo employee.

*Salisbury is also a founding member of The Zoological Association of America, an organization that promotes the private breeding and sale of exotic animals. It's stated mission is to "Protect and defend the right to own animals" and "Defend the owners of animals against the false allegations and mischaracterizations of animal rights activists." Members of the group include disreputable zoos, such as Miami's Jungle Island, who have been denied accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Palm Beach County spay/neuter ordinance enacted!
Update: February 5, 2008

The victory was particularly satisfying because the American Kennel Club, the largest organization of dog breeders in the nation, had campaigned against the ordinance.

Last year, 18,248 animals were put to death at Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control, one of the only shelters in the county that accepts all animals, regardless of adoptability or space. The spay & neuter ordinance is aimed at lowering that horrible number.

The ordinance would require all healthy cats and dogs in the county to be sterilized, unless an individual purchases a $75 unaltered license tag and declares in writing that the animal will not be bred. Individuals could also apply to become a "Hobby breeder," those who breed one or two litters per year (commercial breeders are covered under existing law), but the county could deny permits to those with a history of poor animal care. There would also be an exception for registered show dogs and cats.

The spay/neuter ordinance is Palm Beach County's most recent step forward in its battle against dog and cat overpopulation. At a previous meeting in January, commissioners unanimously approved spending $500,000 to establish a countywide Sterilization Voucher Program, which will provide up to $100 to help low-income residents afford the surgery, and to establish a free spay/neuter clinic in Pahokee. In November 2007, commissioners voted to double the licensing fee for unsterilized pets.

ARFF congratulates Palm Beach County, and Animal Care & Control director Dianne Sauve, for making Palm Beach County a leader in Florida on this important issue.

Publix GreenWise could be a little "greener"
October 4, 2007

Last week, the first Publix GreenWise Market opened in Palm Beach Gardens. The new store features a produce section that is 50 percent organic, a cafe with organic coffee and teas, and a hot bar with vegetarian dishes.

The new GreenWise store is a short distance from a Whole Foods Market, its main competitor for customers interested in natural foods. But unlike Whole Foods, Publix GreenWise Market sells eggs produced by hens in “battery cages.”

In egg factory farms, hens are housed in rows of bare wire cages called “battery cages.” Four to six hens are crowded into each cage. They are unable to stretch their wings, lie down comfortably or engage in nesting, dust bathing or other natural behaviors.

ARFF believes that adopting a vegan diet, one free of eggs and other animal products, is the most important thing you can do to stop the suffering of animals in farms. Cage-free eggs are not cruelty-free, but removing chickens from battery cages helps to improve their lives. Unlike hens housed in battery cages, cage-free hens are at least able to walk, stand up straight and flap their wings.

The campaign against battery cage confinement of egg-laying hens is putting pressure on the egg industry, and sends a message that customers will not support cruel farming practices.

A second GreenWise store will open later this year in Boca Raton, and Publix plans to open additional GreenWise stores in 2008 in Vero Beach, Tampa and Coral Springs.

You Can Help
Please contact Publix and urge the company to ONLY sell eggs from cage-free hens in its new GreenWise Market stores.

Contact:
Online comment form.
Phone: (800) 242-1227

Mailing address:
Publix Super Markets
ATTN: Consumer Relations
PO Box 407
Lakeland, FL 33802

Important points to mention:
• Egg-laying hens are the most intensively confined animal in the U.S.; the birds suffer immensely in battery cages.
• There is a growing list of natural foods retailers that have agreed to stop selling eggs from caged birds. Whole Foods Market, the country’s largest natural foods chain, has pledged not to sell or use eggs produced by hens in battery cages. Wild Oats, Earth Fare and other retailers have adopted similar policies.
• Click here to learn more about Florida's egg industry.

Why we like Publix. Publix is known for predicting trends and adopting changes in response to consumer demand. When you contact Publix, thank them for these positive steps:
• Many conventional Publix stores already offer cage-free eggs. Publix's store-brand organic eggs are produced from chickens in a cage-free environment.
• In May, Publix announced it would no longer buy milk from cows treated with the synthetic growth hormone rBST (also referred to as rBGH). The substance is used to increase milk production, despite the fact that there is evidence linking rBST to health hazards for human consumers, and increased health problems in cows such as udder infections. In response to Publix's decision, the use of rBST in Florida dairy farms has almost entirely stopped.
• Publix's store-brand laundry detergents and household cleaners are produced by Huish Detergents, a "cruelty-free" company that does not conduct or commission animal tests on ingredients or finished products.

ARFF is celebrating a decision by the Sumter Fair Association to end the auction of exotic animals at the Sumter County Fairgrounds in Bushnell.

In a letter to ARFF dated September 11, Jacky Jackson, President of the Sumter Fair Association wrote that the association “met and reviewed your request to end the auction of exotic animals on the Sumter County Fairgrounds. The Board voted on the issue and the vote was unanimous to end the auction.”

Ms. Jackson added, “We have always made it a priority for the public safety of our visitors and the welfare of any animals brought on these grounds.”

The move follows two serious incidents involving the exotic animal auction. In April, a woman was trampled to death by a camel purchased at the auction. In July, a man at the auction was cited by officers with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission for selling a potentially-dangerous Macaque monkey without proper permits, and for transporting the animal in a cage that did not meet minimum regulations.

At exotic animal auctions, you never know what kind of animal you’ll see. What you can be sure of is that you’ll leave feeling utterly depressed. The sad collections of animals being offered to the highest bidder have likely seen this scene before, and will again. They are zoo cast-offs, personal pets gone awry, or have intentionally been bred for sale. The potential homes for these animals range from backyard menageries, to small indoor cages, to roadside zoos, to canned hunt ranches.

You Can Help
Thank you to everyone who wrote to the Sumter County Commission in response to ARFF's recent alert. Please send a quick thank you to the Sumter Fair Association for their compassionate decision to stop the exotic animal auction.

Contact:
Sumter Fair Association
E-mail: sumterfair@aol.com

No greased pig contest at Pioneer Days this year, but next?
August 31, 2007

The "Pioneer Days Festival," hosted by The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, in Dade City, is known for Civil War re-enactments, arts & crafts and living history demonstrations, but in 2006 organizers added a greased pig contest.

The inaugural greased pig contest involved 20 pigs and more than 70 children. Pigs covered in Crisco and olive oil were grabbed, pulled and chased around a pen. An article following the festival in the St. Petersburg Times explained that to win the event, children "had to grab the pig by the hind legs and drag it to the center of the ring. The pigs did not seem to care for this."

And if chasing and tormenting terrified pigs wasn't horrible enough, winners were encouraged to take a pig home. The newspaper quoted one child who said, "What am I going to do with a pig?" and reported pigs being loaded into the back seat of a station wagon. (Photo credit: Zach Boyden-Holmes/St. Petersburg Times)

After last year's festival, and again earlier this year, ARFF contacted the museum with a plea not to repeat the irresponsible and cruel event.

Thankfully, Christine Smith, Director of the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village recently stated that this year's festival— held September 2 & 3 — will not include a greased pig contest. Unfortunately, Ms. Smith also said that the event may be included in a future festival.

You Can Help
Please thank the museum for making the responsible decision not to include a greased pig contest in this year’s Pioneer Days Festival, but also urge the museum not to include a greased pig contest in any future events.

Contact:
Christine Smith, Director
Pioneer Florida Museum & Village
15602 Pioneer Museum Road
Dade City, FL 33525
Phone: (352) 567-0262
E-mail: curator@pioneerfloridamuseum.org
Online comment form.

In 1990, ARFF campaigned against a greased pig contest at the Martin County Fair. Due to activist pressure, the event was replaced by a lumberjack contest.

Raccoon kill halted

In early June, ARFF learned of plans to trap and shoot raccoons at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in Dania Beach. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has blamed the animals for threatening sea turtles who build nests on the park's beaches.

Raccoons often give birth in May or June, so now may be the worst time of the year to trap raccoons. Lactating females trapped and killed would doom orphaned young to starve to death.

ARFF quickly alerted our members, and in response to the public outcry, John U. Lloyd Beach State Park called-off the government trapper. Unfortunately, as many as 40 raccoons had already been killed.

ARFF will be working with the state to find humane methods of resolving conflicts with raccoons at the park.

Thank you to everyone who called or e-mailed the park!

Vivisector to be new animal services director?
Victory for animals in Orange County!
Update: February 20, 2007

This is an exciting victory. THANK YOU to everyone who wrote to the county, called or picketed.

As a result of the outcry over Mr. Ridgway's application, Orange County is writing a formal policy to prohibit impounded animals from being given or sold to any person for use in laboratory testing or experiments. (Seminole County, Lake County, Volusia County and Sumter County already have similar policies in their county code.)

Background:
Orange County (Florida) is hiring a Manager for its Animal Services Division. Among other responsibilities, Animal Services operates a shelter that impounded 20,000 dogs and cats in 2005. Among dozens of applications for the Manager position, the county was considering hiring Robert Ridgway, DVM. Since March 2006, Dr. Ridgway has been employed by the county as a shelter veterinarian. But prior to arriving in Florida, Dr. Ridgway had a sordid past.

For 10 years, Dr. Ridgway was Director of Laboratory Animal Medicine at Covance, one of the world's largest animal testing companies. Covance is hired by pharmaceutical and chemical companies to test products on animals. Every day in Covance labs, thousands of animals suffer and die in painful tests. (Visit www.CovanceCruelty.com to learn more about this horrible company.)

In his application for the Manager position, Dr. Ridgway boasted that at Covance one of his responsibilities was, "procurement of over 29,000 animals annually and coordination of animal use." He was also personally involved in testing chemicals on animals. Before Covance, Dr. Ridgeway worked in animal research labs operated by the U.S. military.

Please contact Mayor Crotty and thank him for removing Robert Ridgway from consideration as Orange County’s new Manager of Animal Services.

Contact:
County Mayor Richard Crotty
E-mail: mayor@ocfl.net

Zoos across the country are slowly realizing that they cannot provide the necessary environment or proper care for elephants. Among the zoos that have closed their elephant exhibits in recent years, the following zoos made a compassionate decision to send their elephant(s) to a sanctuary: the Detroit Zoo, Henry Vilas Zoo (Wisconsin), Louisian Purchase Gardens and Zoo, Chehaw Wild Animal Park (Georgia) and the Mesker Park Zoo (Indiana).

Stumpy and Mama
The two remaining elephants at Lion Country Safari, "Stumpy" and "Mama" have lived together since the early 1970s.

Elephants are highly intelligent animals who have complex social relationships. Female elephants in particular form lifelong bonds and stay with their relatives for their entire lives.

To send these two elephants to other zoos would be a cruel mistake. In many U.S. zoos, elephants suffer due to inadequate space, unnatural conditions, and lack of exercise.

Lion Country Safari's wildlife director has stated that, "Our hope is that they stay together." Of course, it is entirely up to the zoo to ensure that happens!

Lion Country Safari's elephants deserve a peaceful retirement.
Although Stumpy and Mama can't be returned to Africa where they were born, relocation to a sanctuary is a wonderful option.

There are two sanctuaries in the United States that offer exceptional homes for elephants suffering from neglect, abuse or years of confinement: The Performing Animal Welfare Society in California and The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee offer large, natural settings (100+ acres) over which elephants can roam, forage and bond with other elephants.

Please contact Lion Country Safari and ask that the two elephants be transferred— together— to a sanctuary. Demand that the zoo NOT break-up Stumpy and Mama. To break the bond that has developed between these two elephants, companions for over three decades, would be extremely cruel.

Contact:
Lion Country Safari
2003 Lion Country Safari Road
Loxahatchee, FL 33470
Phone: (561) 793-1084