NAIA Official Blog

Members of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) from the University of Washington have sued their own institution to keep their names from being released to PeTA. PeTA claims that the committee is trying to hide that it is not constituted in accordance with federal law; they say committee member names must be released in order to gain more oversight.

But the IACUC members weren’t born yesterday. They know it is a near certainty that if PeTA’s request is approved, their personal information will find its way to groups and individuals who will harass them at their homes and/or work.

The leaders of the IACUC are using the lawsuit to protect its members and keep them safe. PeTA, no doubt delighted at finally receiving attention for something other than the kill rate of their Virginia shelter, is not backing down. They claim their protests are legal and that their members are told to only use polite language. PeTA can still appeal the federal judge’s injunction if it becomes permanent.

Resources
★     Activists protest UCLA’s use of animals in laboratory research at Murphy Hall
★     (2007) Animal rights protesters torment scientists

A founder of an Oregon rescue faces federal fraud conspiracy charges after having over 100 animals seized from her operation. She faces separate charges of neglect, identify theft, and forgery.

What really gets our attention are the 280 counts of misrepresenting animal health and behavior to potential customers. Aside from the emotional toll of an ailing pet, chronic issues can place a massive financial burden on a new owner. While many owners expect and even plan for their pets’ occasional illnesses or medical emergencies, knowingly passing on sick or aggressive pets is just deplorable. Unscrupulous practices such as these are not only unethical and dangerous, they also cast a shadow on the reputation of other rescues.

That this woman was allegedly able to cheat so many customers speaks to the fact that people want dogs, and that they find the idea of adopting – or “saving” – a dog especially appealing. The human-animal bond is powerful, and pets are certainly a place where we often lead with our hearts rather than our brains. This makes the damage – to trust, public safety, and to the reputation of all the rescue groups that do a great job – especially egregious.

Portland Animal Rescue Founder Faces Federal Fraud Charges

Resources
★     Patti Strand: More regulations needed for animal shelters and rescues
★     Couple arrested for embezzling Humane Society funds

A bill to preserve the management of elephants in Oklahoma was introduced to the OK House and has progressed to the OK Senate. In a collaborative effort from the Endangered Ark Foundation (EAF) and representative Humphrey, HR 3281 hopes to make it a state law for any institution housing elephants to manage them as they see fit, using either free contact or protected contact methods. The reason this is so important is multifaceted: Oklahoma is home to two AZA accredited facilities that use protected contact and one facility that has a mixture of both protected and free contact. This last facility, EAF, is the largest breeding herd of Asian elephants left in the United States.

The EAF uses bullhooks, livestock goad-shaped tools ESA refers to as “guide sticks,” which have long been decried by animal rights activists as, essentially, instruments of torture (quick clarification, if needed: they are not). The EAF uses guide sticks with its free contact elephants as a tactile cue to work alongside visual or verbal cues. Elephants have poor vision, but are extremely tactile creatures, making the guide stick a vital tool. Hopefully, this same law can be passed in other states like Texas and Florida, where major zoological institutions and private owners can benefit from the preservation of all elephant keeping methods.

Hugo elephant sanctuary welcomes change to animal cruelty law

Resources
★     The Endangered Ark Foundation
★     National Geographic Animals 101: Asian Elephant