“Death” Makes an Appearance at Dog Track Grand Opening

(Daytona Beach) – Members of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will gather outside the entrance to the new Daytona Beach Kennel Club to shed light on a cruel industry: greyhound racing. The protest will feature an activist dressed as “Death,” to remind bettors of the thousands of racing greyhounds killed each year in the United States.

The abuse and neglect of racing greyhounds is common at kennels and tracks in Florida. There have been numerous reports of dogs subjected to cruel treatment, suffering injuries while racing, and of ex-racing dogs being abandoned. For example, in August 2007 three greyhounds died of heat exhaustion at the Daytona Beach Kennel Club. The dog’s trainer had his license suspended after three other dogs under his care tested positive for traces of cocaine (the drug is believed to enhance performance).

“Poker games are the focus of the Kennel Club’s new facility,” said Carla Wilson, ARFF Coordinator. “It is undeniable that Floridians have lost interest in dog racing. We’re looking forward to the day when the last greyhound races in Daytona Beach.”

DATE: Friday, May 23
TIME: 6:30pm
PLACE: Daytona Beach Kennel Club, 960 South Williamson Blvd., Daytona Beach

When greyhounds do not run profitably, due to injury or age, they are of little use to the racing industry. Thousands of greyhounds are killed each year in the United States. The “fortunate” ones are killed humanely. It is common for losing dogs to be shot or abandoned.

To ensure a constant supply of new racers, more than 25,000 dogs are bred each year in the United States. Some unwanted greyhounds are rescued by adoption organizations, but there are simply not enough homes for them all. At least 5,000 former racing greyhounds are killed each year.

Even for winning dogs, the realities of kennel life are shameful. Racing greyhounds spend most of their lives— 18 to 20 hours a day— confined in cramped crates with little human contact

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WHEN: Thursday, May 1st at 10:30am
WHERE: Bahia Shrine Center - 2300 Pembrook Drive, Orlando

Shrine circuses have deplorable records of animal abuse and human safety violations. Because the Shriners do not hold their own exhibitors license, they have deflected an extensive history of animal abuse by outside circuses used for their fundraising shows. Those leased by Shriners include the Royal Hanneford Circus, Circus Hollywood and the Tarzan Zerbini Circus—each one with a hefty record of USDA violations. Charges range from not providing nutritious food and clean water, to handling animals in a way that fails to prevent harm and ensure public safety.

By employing animal circuses, the Shriners put audiences in danger of disease and injury. In 2005 a Tarzan Zerbini Circus trainer was trampled to death after a Mizpah Shrine Circus. In the same year an elephant used by the Shriners died from a strain of tuberculosis transferable between humans and animals—several more tested positive for the disease. In 2003 Hawthorn Corporation—known to supply elephants and tigers to the Shriners—was charged with 47 violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including the use of physical abuse to train and handle elephants, failure to provide veterinary care to elephants with potentially deadly foot problems and unsafe public contact. A chaperone to schoolchildren at a 2001 Medinah Shrine Circus in Chicago reported that the children were traumatized when they witnessed a trainer beating an elephant. She wrote to the local newspaper:

Although many support Shrine circuses with the impression that their donation will be used to help a child in need, in reality Shriners’ Hospitals for Children, a separate entity from the Shrine temples, receive less than two percent of their budgets from Shrine temples. A 2007 New York Times investigation confirmed a trail of money leading not to children but to trips, parties and alcohol for the Shriners.

Florida retirement for zoo elephants? Or just another breeding facility.

(St. Lucie County) – At a press conference this morning at the Houston Zoo, plans will be announced to create The National Elephant Center on 300 acres in St. Lucie County.

The National Elephant Center has the potential to provide a large, natural setting over which elephants could roam, forage and bond with other elephants. The Center could become a sanctuary where zoo elephants would be allowed to spend their remaining years in relative comfort. Unfortunately, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is instead planning to create a breeding facility to replenish the declining population of captive elephants in zoos in North America.

"Florida would be a great place for America's aging zoo elephants to retire, but encouraging breeding is irresponsible," said ARFF Campaigns Coordinator Nick Atwood. "Zoos breed elephants for one reason: to boost attendance. True conservation of elephants must take place in their native lands."

Zoos across the country are realizing that they cannot provide the necessary environment or proper care for elephants. In recent years, over one dozen U.S. zoos have closed or plan to close their elephant exhibits. Several of these zoos, including the Detroit Zoo, Henry Vilas Zoo (Wisconsin), Mesker Park Zoo (Indiana), Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, and the Chehaw Wild Animal Park (Georgia) made the compassionate decision to send their elephants to a non-breeding sanctuary.

In many U.S. zoos, elephants suffer due to inadequate space, unnatural conditions, and lack of exercise.

"'Conservation' will be the buzzword at today's press conference," noted Nick Atwood. "It is true that elephants are threatened in Africa and Asia, but captive breeding is not a solution."

The millions of dollars that will be spent to create The National Elephant Center would be better spent supporting research on free-living elephants, or in improving the lives of elephants in America's many substandard zoo exhibits.

Sumter County Shuts Down Exotic Animal Auction

(Bushnell) – The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (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. Fortunately, the monkey was seized and is now at an animal rehabilitation center.

An exotic animal auction is scheduled to take place at the fairgrounds on Saturday, September 15. Animals to be offered for sale include buffalo, zebra, flying squirrels, sloths and many other exotic animals. ARFF believes that this will be the final auction at the Sumter County Fairgrounds.

“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,” said ARFF Managing Director Heather Veleanu. “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.”

West Palm Beach Stands Up For Chickens!

(West Palm Beach) – The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida is applauding the City of West Palm Beach for making a strong statement against one of factory farming’s worst forms of intensive confinement. On Monday night, the West Palm Beach City Commission unanimously passed a resolution opposing “battery cage egg production, based on the inherent cruelty of confining egg-laying hens in battery cages.” The resolution also encourages consumers, “not to purchase eggs produced by caged hens.”

West Palm Beach is the third, and the largest, city in Florida to pass a resolution condemning the intensive confinement of chickens in cages. The cities of Winter Springs and New Port Richey have also passed resolutions opposing battery cage confinement.

“At the very least, chickens deserve to be able to spread their wings and walk more than one step forward and one step backward,” said ARFF Managing Director Heather Veleanu. “The movement away from the use of battery cages has improved the lives of millions of animals.”

More than 150 colleges and universities across the country have committed to using only cage-free eggs. Other institutions, such as the natural foods retailer Whole Foods Market, have also pledged not to sell or use eggs from caged birds. Earlier this year, renowned chef Wolfgang Puck announced that his restaurants would exclusively use cage-free eggs. Even the fast food giant Burger King has implemented a purchasing preference for cage-free eggs.

While most eggs in this country come from caged birds, there are a growing number of cage-free egg farmers, including several here in Florida, fulfilling the expanding consumer demand.

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St. Augustine’s Scorching Summer Streets: No Place for Horses
Recent accident highlights inherent danger of horse-drawn carriages

(St. Augustine) – Members of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will gather in St. Augustine to speak up for horses trapped in the cruel carriage-horse industry. The protest is timed to mark the first weekend of summer. Florida’s extreme heat and humidity can be treacherous for carriage horses.

“Horses pulling heavy carriages are a sad but unfortunately common sight on St. Augustine’s busy streets,” said Carla Wilson, ARFF Coordinator. “Not only are horses at risk of dehydration and heat stress, but as a recent accident illustrated, horse-drawn carriages present serious threats to the safety of people as well.”

PROTEST DATE: Sunday, June 24
TIME: 12:00 noon
PLACE: Protestors will gather along the water where the horses line up between the fort and the Bridge of Lions.

Mixing horse-drawn vehicles with motor vehicle traffic is inherently dangerous. On June 9, a horse became “spooked” and pulled an occupied carriage several blocks before the passengers could jump out. Two of the five people on the carriage were injured, one seriously enough to be taken to a local hospital. There have been numerous accidents involving horse-drawn carriages in the City of St. Augustine. In November 2000 two tourists and a carriage driver were ejected from a carriage when a van struck the carriage on Avenida Menendez. One of the passengers broke her left collar bone and the other had six stitches in his head. The horse also suffered injuries.