Legislative Forum

forum

This is a forum for the discussion of the proposed Shambala Bill and other legislative issues concerning animal ownership.  Please keep your debates civil,  and do not post material which is knowingly inaccurate. Anti private ownership entities monitor this BB, so be careful about posting personal information.  Known offenders or trolls will not be allowed to post here.
 * If your post consists of only the subject line, place "n/m" (no message) in 
the message box, or your post will not appear on the board.
 

 

Mace's questions were erased,

by Anonymous

Mace's questions disappeared from this BB.
Why?

Posted on Aug 22, 2000, 4:50 PM

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Mace's questions

by

As far as I know, Mace never asked any questions on this board. He did ask something on another board ( http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/30562 ) and I just checked. They are still there.

Posted on Aug 22, 2000, 5:47 PM

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Glad I found you...

by

I am glad that I found this board. Being owned by domestics but being friends with exotics, I know that this could mean certain trouble for each and everyone of us. I am a member of a couple different lists that have focused on this but domestic people are still in the clouds. I am pushing the issue on my personal lists that deals with breed specific legislation but, they just don't seem to be getting it. You folks that do have exotics need to get those pets out(those that can) and start educating people. Get those pets out and make it known that it is the owner and irresponsible breeder/handler that is the problem with all this nonsense. You must make them aware of what is going on. It just isn't the same when a Pit Bull owner talks about exotics when they have never owned any. I have learned a lot from my exotic buddies but that just doesn't cut it with cynics and critics. I look forward to my time here in this board and keep us updated and I will work on the domestic side of the coin. How many people do we have to educate on this issue? Just one more...

Posted on Aug 21, 2000, 7:03 PM

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wordpress for dummies

by



Posted on Dec 7, 2008, 8:38 AM

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Nev. Proposal

by

This was sent to me today.

Folks ...
Nevada is also being hit with a new proposed ordinance on Exotics which I don't think is going to be very good for us. It is supposed to be along California laws and regulations and will involve ANYONE that has exotics.
The information I have is that their will be a meeting at the Govt. Centre (pyramid) building of the Regional Planners .. the Pueblo Building at 1.30pm on Thursday, 31st August, 2000.
I suggest that ANYONE with an interest in exotics to either be at the meeting or to contact either. Please pass this message along. I can't possibly reach everyone.


Contact me for contact info on someone who is planning on fighting this bill.

Posted on Aug 15, 2000, 4:44 PM

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The Shambala Bill has been introduced into the House of Representatives

by

The Shambala Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives as HR 5057 by Rep. Tom Lantos on July 27, 2000. It was referred to the House Agriculture Committee the same day, then referred to the subcommittee on Fisheries & Wildlife on August 8, 2000.

It can be viewed at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c106:H.R.5057:

When you first click on the PDF link, you will probably get a message stating it isn't available yet but I just let it sit for a minute and the full 17 pages of text did appear.


Posted on Aug 13, 2000, 11:16 AM

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Help with finding your legislator's contact information

by

http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/legislative/email.html

This page may offer help in finding out who your representative is and how to contact him/her. Please take the time to try to find out who you need to contact and do so.


Posted on Aug 13, 2000, 11:19 AM

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Materials to help fight this bill can be found at:

by

http://www.PhoenixExotics.org/

These are free downloads but these folks are nice enough to do this for us and it would be nice if we could help them a little.

Posted on Aug 13, 2000, 11:31 AM

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Links to Committee Members

by Christine

This was posted by Polly Ward to the Phoenix list. I have copied/pasted and added appropriate code to make the links work, I think.

Polly Ward Wrote:
<<Here are links where you can obtain the names and addresses of the appropriate Committee and Subcommittee members, so that you can send letters of opposition on the Shambala Bill:

http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/106cong/member06.htm#f.women (This will give you a list of all the members of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans. This subcommittee is under the House Committee on Resources.) The address for all subcommittee members appears at the top of the page, with the members' names below it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------- http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/106cong/member06.htm#alpha (This will give you an alphabetical list of all members of the House Committee on Resources.

The page will give you the names of all members and their building number, such as 1020 LHOB. The rest of their address is all the same:
Washington, DC 20515 So, your letters would be addressed to something like:

The Honorable John Boehner
1020 LHOB Washington, DC 20515
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
http://agriculture.house.gov/members.htm (This page gives links to the individual web pages of each committee member. It's more cumbersome and will take you some time to locate the addresses for each of the committee members, as you have to go to their individual web pages in order to find them.)


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
The Shambala Bill was apparently assigned to TWO committees at the same time -- House Agriculture and House Committee on Resources. It was subsequently assigned to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans, which is a part of the Committee on Resources. I don't know whether the House Ag Committee will also assign it to one of their subcommittees -- not sure how this works. It all sounds like a lot of duplication to me!>>

Posted on Aug 13, 2000, 3:39 PM

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For some reason, you get a blank page so go this url

by

and type in the bill number, HR 5057 and it will bring it up.

http://thomas.loc.gov/

Posted on Aug 13, 2000, 12:20 PM

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The Shambala Bill May Well Affect You And Yours If It Passes.

by Christine

This was written by J. Hall of the Phoenix Org.

Written by J. Hall of the Phoenix Org.


For those of you handing out the Phoenix flyer and post card - please update your flyers with the dates it was introduced and the bill number on the postcard.

For those of you who are not handing out flyers or postcards - PLEASE either do so or post the alternative you are working on to the list so others can follow in your footsteps and take action.

We contact a decent number of people on our lists and on the lists that our posts are forwarded to - - - - but the constituency of the US Representative is the entire country.

The general public does NOT support tampering with our rights and they WILL support us.....if they get a chance and know what is going on.
Most only hear what is in sound bites and either don't have the opportunity or take the time to actually see the bills before congress....

Any changes needed based on the actual bill that has been presented will be made to the flyer as soon as possible.

The general public WILL support us!

The Shambala Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives as HR 5057 by Rep. Tom Lantos on July 27, 2000. It was referred to the House Agriculture Committee the same day, then referred to the subcommittee on Fisheries & Wildlife on August 8, 2000. ( go to:
http://thomas.loc.gov/ and type in the bill #, HR 5057 and that will bring it up)

Phoenix flyers, postcards and petition are on the website in downloadable form at http://www.PhoenixExotics.org and you can find your own congressional representatives and other data at www.congress.org

Posted on Aug 13, 2000, 2:11 PM

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A quick lesson on the legislative process can be found at:

by Christine

http://www.congress.org/process.html

It's a lot easier to stop a bill in committee than on down the road.

Let's get to work.

Posted on Aug 13, 2000, 6:31 PM

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Information needed ASAP in regards to defeating the Michigan Wolfdog ban

by gloria

Hey all,

The following information is asked for in defeat of SB 705 banning wolf dogs in Michigan. #4 is a piece of cake, and Jane and I can get the Michigan transcripts of the hearings easily (Stacey already has one tape). I of course will be more than happy to provide the rest of #2. <g>

If anyone can provide info, by mail or by Internet links, it would be greatly appreciated.

Needed ASAP:

1) Documentation and transcripts of legislative proceedings; in Committee and in both Houses. (I knew eventually Stille and Law would eventually have to explain the deplorable hearings they held and their rude behaviour to wolf dog owners, experts and people testifying)

2) Documents and other materials made available to the legislators used to influence legislation. (cough, cough.....now where are those autopsy pictures and police report. Oh yes, right here. Look's like the attorney disagrees with your position Primrose).

3) Statistics concerning wolfdog attacks

4) Statistics concerning dog bites and attacks in general (CDC report is quite clear)

5) General information about wolf dogs; their origin, pet status, etc.

6) Any genealogical information concerning wolfdogs.

7) Extracts from textbooks and other authoritative references concerning wolfdogs generally (The Virginia study is one that comes to mind)

Mr Tanick states that a large amount of information is unnecessary. Simply send a link or state the cover page, publication page and any other information necessary to identifying the written work.

I am cross posting this to many lists and forums and apologize to those receiving repetitive posts. Please feel free to cross post this to any and all lists, forums and individuals you feel can help.

Thank you,
gloria
Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue
www.wolfdogs.org
810-364-2750

Posted on Jul 20, 2000, 3:21 PM

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Working Draft of Arkansas Legislation

by

The spacing on this isn't good and there may still be some scanning errors but below is an URL to the working draft the Arkansas Game and Fish Dept. is working on.

http://homepages.go.com/~casalobo/Ark_draft.htm

Some who are trying to get a group together to help fight this legislation are:

ROSEGUNS@aol.com
culvers@voltage.net
wildcat@ipa.net

If you live in Arkansas or know someone who does, let them know this bill is in the works to be introduced sometime in August.

Also, I do have this saved in Winword 2000 if some of you would like for me to e-mail it to you. Just click on my name at the top of this message and let me know you want it sent to you as an attachment.



Posted on Jul 19, 2000, 9:26 PM

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Proposed Dog Ban in Germany

by Christine

Hope I have these addys fairly straight. (Christine)

Julie wrote:

I just did a search at the ABC International News website. Associated Press issued a press release about the dog bite and Germany's reaction.
The site addy is http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/nose000701.html for general info about what happened.

There is a more detailed article at http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/dogs000628.html

As well as http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/pitbull000627.html
Blessings,
Rev. Debra L. Moore, DN

There are about 28 breeds mentioned in a breed ban.
They are classified into groups 1, 2, 3. Group 1 is banned from breeding and must be neutered and wear muzzles out in public. But first they have to go through a 3 hour test. A very unfair test like throwing a dirty diaper in their face to see how they react. If they show any interest they are destroyed.

And they must play with another dog without showing any aggression or they are destroyed.

Group 2 must wear muzzles in public and are not allowed to breed and must be neutered. Any biting from those breeds and they are then put into group 1.

And group 3 are allowed to breed but under strict rules and only with permission. There are people that have been attacked and stoned along with their dogs when seen out in public. And not just the so-called fighting breeds. One Jack Russell Terrier was set on fire and burned to death. One old woman visiting her husbands grave with her Doberman was accosted. Also a lady with a sticker on her car showing a Bull Terrier was pushed around. One woman walking with her 3 year child and dog were stoned. The child ended up in the hospital. Dogs are being poisoned and beaten to death. One American Bull Dog puppy was strangled to death.

It all started when two people who were known as criminals and dog fighters were training their dogs near a school yard and the dogs jumped the fence and attacked a 6 year old and killed him in the school yard. The dogs were required by the police to wear muzzles and were not wearing them.

This is a horrible thing to happen and I feel for the child and family and everyone concerned, but the owners of the dogs should be punished and the dogs distorted.

If the police had been doing their job none of this would have happened. Now they are destroying whole breeds of dogs that are family pets and innocent of any crime. And these are dogs of all breeds. And the police are allowing the people to do this. This is a very sad time for dog lovers in Germany.
Sandy
Imperia100@aol.com

first article cited below in Washington Post).
Airlifts are being arranged to remove some of the banned dogs out of the country.
Information may be found through the following sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/metro/columns/mannjudy/A61882-2000Jul7html

http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/Goldie_dog/dogHolocaust/dogHolocaustWebring.htm

http://www.geocities.com/dogholocaust/
http://www.bild.de/service/archiv/2000/jun/27/?body=3Daktuell/hund/hund.html
http://www.the-times.co.uk/news/pages/Times/timconcon01001.html
http://www.hamburg.de/aktuell/hundeverordnung.htm
http://www.dog.com/news/?id=3D393
http://web.philly.com/content/inquirer/2000/07/01/business/DOGS01.htm
http://de.fc.yahoo.com/k/kampfhunde.html
http://www.dog.com/news/?id=3D421
http://www.dog.com/news/?id=3D408
http://workingdogs.com http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/0710/dog.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/World/Europe/2000-07/killerdogs020700.shtm l

http://workingdogs.com/breedban.htm
http://www.alltomhundar.com/aoh/protest/index.html
http://www.bullterrier-in-not.de/massenmord.htm
http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/nose000701.html

for general info about what happened.
There is a more detailed article at http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/dogs000628.html .
As well as http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/dailynews/pitbull000627.html
Holocaust List:
Post message: DogHolocaust@egroups.com Subscribe: DogHolocaust-subscribe@egroups.com

Breeds named as dangerous:
"Decree has been issued in Germany naming potentially dangerous dog breeds with some livestock guardian dogs as follows":

"A LIST"
1. Bullmastiff,
2. Bullterrier,
3. Dog Argentino,
4. Dogue de Bordeaux,
5. Fila Brasileiro,
6. Mastiff,
7. Mastin Espa=F1ol,
8. Mastino Napoletano,
9. Kangal
10. Kaukasischer Owtscharka American Staffordshire Terrier, Pitbull Terrier, Staffordshire Bullterrier, Bullterrier, Mastino Napolitano, Mastino Espanol, Bordeaux Dogge, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, R=F6mischer Kampfhund, Chinesischer Kampfhund, Bandog und Tosa Inu.

"B LIST"
Akbas, Carpatin, Dobermann, Mioritic, Estrela-Berghund, Kangal, Kaukasischer Owtscharka, Mittelasiatischer Owtscharka, S=FCdrussischer Owtscharka, Komondor, Kuvasz, Maremmaner Hirtenhund, Polski Owczarek Podhalanski, Rottweiler, Slovensky Cuvac, Pyren=E4enberghund, Mastin de los Pirineos, Sarplaniac, Tibetanischer Mastiff, Tornjak, Berger de Brie (Briard), Berger de Beauce (Beauceron), Karakatschan, Karshund, Kraski Ovcar, Liptak (Goralenhund), Raffeiro do Alentejo und Rhodesian Ridgeback.

Mary Brownell <brownll@sover.net>
**Prevent rescue - Support breeders who spay/neuter and microchip**

These are the email addies for various federal level offices for the main parties in Germany. Hope to scare up some state-level office email addies in the near future.

----------------------------------------------------------- CHRISTIAN-DEMOCRATS (main opposition party, right)
main mailbox: post@cdu.de press office: pressestelle@cdu.de media and PR: oeffentlichkeitsarbeit@cdu.de
internet editors: redaktion@cdu.de interior affairs: innenpolitik@cdu.de
foreign/european: aussenpolitik@cdu.de basics/planning: grundsatzfragen@cdu.de

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS (second opposition party, middle)
general information: fdp-point@fdp.de press office Kothe@fdp.de
strategy/campaigns: renatus@fdp.de organization/service: pfnorr@fdp.de internet/new media: paschedag@fdp.de press office parliamentry group: Pressestelle@fdp-bundestag.de

SOCIAL-DEMOCRATS (main ruling party)
party committee: parteivorstand@spd.de Chancellor and party chairman:gerhard.schroeder@spd.de party
vice chairman: rudolf.scharping@spd.de party vice chariman: wolfgang.thierse@spd.de president of parliament:vorzimmer@praesb.bundestag.dbp.de
party secretary general: franz.muentefering@spd.de
press office: pressestelle@spd.de
internet editors: redaktion@spd.de
INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY: internationalsecretary@spd.de
PRESIDENT OF GERMANY,
Mr. Johannes Rau
poststelle@bpra.bund.de http://194.25.60.115/post.htm

Posted on Jul 18, 2000, 1:28 PM

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Forwarded from: Norma Bennett Woolf, editor, NAIA News

by Christine

This is cross-posted with permission. Jim Beers is a former FWS biologist who blew the whistle on AR infiltration of the agency.
He was fired when he refused to approve grants so an anti-hunting group could teach school kids that hunting is cruel.

Norma

--------- Forwarded message ----------

From: James M Beers <JIMBeers@juno.com>
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 08:14:34 -0400
Subject: Please Help Folks,

The US SENATE is stalling passage of the amendments to the Pittman-Robertson (PR) and Dingell - Johnson (DJ) Acts that recently passed the House 423 to 2.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is working hard to defeat any action in the Senate in order to kill the bill and several Washington conservation groups are also working behind the scenes to preserve their access to PR and DJ administrative funds. Please don't let them kill all of the progress made in the House over the past year and a half. The reasons for passing these amendments are too numerous to mention but if 45 to 50 million dollars withheld from state fish and wildlife programs to be frittered away by the managers of FWS doesn't raise your ire then disregard this message.

Please contact Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire and Senator Crapo of Idaho and tell them that you want passage of the PR and DJ amendments that passed the House 423 to 2. The other Senators on the Committee are - Chafee, Warner, Inhofe, Thomas, Bond, Voinovich, Bennett, Hutchison, Baucus, Moynihan, Lautenberg, Reid, Graham, Lieberman, Boxer, and Wyden.

Please contact:
Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire
Chairman of the Environment & Public Works Committee
(202)224-2841
opinion@smith.senate.gov

Senator Crapo of Idaho
(202)224-6142
http://www.senate.gov/crapo

Senator Chafee of Rhode Island
(202)224-2921
senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov

Senator Warner of Virginia
(202)224- 2023
senator@warner.senate.gov

Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma
(202)224-4721
jim_inhofe@inhofe.senate.gov

Senator Thomas of Wyoming
(202)224-6441
craig@thomas.senate.gov

Senator Bond of Missouri
(202)224-5721
kit_bond@bond.senate.gov

Senator Voinovich of Ohio
(202)224-3353
http://www.senate.gov/-voinovich

Senator Bennett of Utah
(202)224-5444
senator@bennett.senate.gov

Senator Hutchison of Texas
(202)224-5922
senator@hutchison.senate.gov

Senator Baucus of Montana
(202)224-2651
max@baucus.senate.gov

Senator Moynihan of New York
(202)224-4451
senator@dpm.senate.gov

Senator Lautenberg of New Jersey
(202)224-4744
frank_lautenberg@lautenberg.senate.gov

Senator Reid of Nevada
(202)224-3542
senator_reid@reid.senate.gov

Senator Graham of Florida
(202)224-3041
bob_graham@graham.senate.gov

Senator Lieberman of Connecticut
(202)224-4041
senator_lieberman@lieberman.senate.gov

Senator Boxer of California
(202)224-3553
senator@boxer.senate.gov

Senator Wyden of Oregon
(202)224-5244
senator@wyden.senate.gov

Remember that this bill passed the House 423 to 2.

This is the URL to the Committee's Web Page:
http://www.senate.gov/~epw/

Your help and the help of anyone else you can tell or to whom you can forward this message is needed now more than ever.

Thanks.

Jim Beers

Norma Bennett Woolf, editor, NAIA News

Posted on Jul 14, 2000, 6:17 PM

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BSL, Camden, Arkansas

by Christine

Here is some BSL where a call or fax might help...

David

<< Due to an "incident" in which a woman was bitten by a chained PB, Camden, AR is proposing an ordinance declaring Pits (and probably the other breeds generally included in BSL) vicious.

Our contact there has asked people to call, write, and fax the Mayor, Chris Claybaker. His phone number is 870-837-5500 and his fax is 870-836-3369. His address is 206 Van Buren, Camden, AR 71701 She also requested that people contact: Camden News at 870-836-8192, fax: 870-837-1414.

We have it on good authority that Camden Animal Control in unable to enforce laws on the books, much less additional laws.

A newspaper article about this, stated the council would start with Pit Bulls and add other breeds as needed.
________________________

Although I want to encourage you all to be polite, it sure would be nice if Mayor Claybaker's phone and fax were too busy for him to use tomorrow.

Oh, and permission is granted to forward this on to any other lists you feel might be interested in helping, i.e., Rotties, Dobies, etc.
THANKS!

Donna Malone, President Responsible Animal Owners of Tennessee
-
Because Love is Not Enough!
Email: raotinc@aol.com Website:
www.unrealcity.com/raot

Posted on Jul 13, 2000, 12:06 AM

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Michigan and Federal legal defense fund

by


We are seeking help to fight the recent enacted law to ban wolf dogs in
MI. We have legal counsel, Marshall Tanick,
(Marshall H. Tanick is an attorney with the Twin Cities law firm of Mansfield, Tanick &Cohen, P.A. He serves as counsel for the American Dog Association, the Canine Defense Fund, and other dog-related organizations and individual dog owners).

This litigation will cost in the neighborhood of $30 to 50,000, and many of our
Members of Michigan Wolfdog Association and Wolf Dog Rescue agree that it MUST be done.

We, of the state of Michigan, are a "Test Case" for the rest of the
United States; eyes are upon use as to discover what it takes to stop
the enactment of laws to take away the companion animals of our own
personal choice.

What we are seeking from you and others is support in a number of
ways.. I will list here the things we need and ask that you answer back
if there are any that you may be able to fulfill for us.

*** We have an organization that will act as an "Umbrella" to route
funds through to make donations to the "class action" more desirable to those
that want a tax deduction for their donation.
After discussing the situation today with both their accountant and attorney,
the Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue and Animal Sanctuary has agreed to act as the umbrella organization for the Michigan Wolfdog Association Defense Fund. They are a 501(c) 3 organization and donations made are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Please make checks or money orders out to Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue.
Their EIN number is 38-3458245.
Include on the memo portion of your check. M.W.A. Legal Defense Fund.
More information can be found regarding this organization at: http://www.bignet.net/~zadymka/index.htm

*** We need help "getting the word out" as to our efforts to draw in more
support, donations, manpower & information that would help our case in
court. In other words, please feel free and encouraged to fwd this to any person, organization or list that you feel applicable.

*** We need funds, as we, the officers of Michigan Wolfdog Association and contributing organizations cannot do it alone.

The future of ALL Michigan Canines is at stake here. Our success in
this matter WILL impact the rest of the States, IT WILL be going elsewhere,
UNLESS WE show the rest of the world lawmakers that IT WILL be STOPPED, dead
in its tracks, right here, in the state of Michigan!

If we do not stop this here, right in its tracks, MORE DOGS, common,
everyday dogs, little FiFi could be next!

We are fighting Animal Rights extremist here; THEY want to do away with ALL companion animals!

Our attorney has indicated that this should go to Federal court. This will have an obvious impact on the Shambala proposal, a bill designed to limit animal ownership and eradicate wolf dogs.

What we accomplish HERE will have a major impact on the rest of the
country.

Thank You for your Support

Jane VanScoik
Michigan Wolfdog Association, Inc
P.O. Box 19637
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49019

Gloria Carey
Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue
590 N. Range Rd.
Marysville, MI 48040

You may contact any of the following persons for more information
Board of Trustees
President: Jane VanScoik (616) 655-WOLF (9653), Fax (616) 655-9654,
E-Mail - LoboLore@aol.com (Jane),
Trustee Sandy Dash (616) 463-7312 or (616) 463-MWDA,
Action Committee Leader: Jim Esman (616) 657-1080,
E-Mail - Countrypac43511@aol.com (Jim),
Fund Raising Committee Leader
Gloria Carey (810) 364-2750
E-Mail WolfDogRSQ@aol.com (Gloria),
Financial Committee Leader: Sandy Dash (616) 463-7312 or (616) 463-MWDA,
Membership Committee Leader: Joy Eastling (616) 657-8984

Anonymous donations are welcome and will be forwarded to
Michigan Wolfdog Association, Legal Defense Fund.
(Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue and Animal Sanctuary has agreed to act as the umbrella organization for the Michigan Wolfdog Association Defense Fund).

Please Print:
Name: _______________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________
City: ____________________ State: _____ Zip: ____________
Phone Number _____________ (optional) E-Mail Address ______________ (optional)
May we list your first name, last initial, and $ amount, to the ongoing list of donors on our support page, Michigan Wolfdog Rescue page, Critters Quarterly newsletter and LoboLore magazine? _________
Donation Amount: $______ Date Sent______ Payment Method: Money Order: ____ No: ________Check____ Check No: ________

The Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue is a non-profit organization that was incorporated under the state laws in Michigan. We are a 501 (c) 3 organization and your donation is fully tax deductible as far as the current law allows. EIN: 38-3458245.
Our mission is the rescue and placement of wolves and wolf dog crosses. We are also actively engaged in wolf and wolf dog education; especially with the younger members of our society. We speak at schools, public and private functions and educate people as to the true nature of wolves and wolf dogs.
Our newsletter, Critters Quarterly, is published every three months. It contains wolf, wolf dog and animal news items, letters to the editor, articles on the care and socialization of wolf dogs, wolf and wolf dog behaviors, dietary needs, health and veterinary information, adequate confinement and classified advertising.
Your donation is tax deductible. Thank you so much for your support

Please Send Donations To:
Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue
590 N. Range Rd
Marysville, MI 48040
Make checks payable to: Michigan Wolfdog Rescue
NOTE: Add to memo portion of check. (M.W.A. Legal Defense Fund)
(This will route the funds Directly to Michigan Wolfdog Association, Inc.
Legal Defense Fund)


Posted on Jul 11, 2000, 2:29 PM

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Can I help

by

I live in Elkhart,IN Would it help if I passed a Pitition around and got signatures from here? If so, please e-mail me a printable copy of your pitition and address as to where to mail the signatures back to. Others could do the same.

Posted on Aug 21, 2001, 10:05 PM

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Michigan SB 782 (the large cat & bear ban)

by Christine

was signed into law by Gov. Engler on July 7th. This state is pretty sad, needless to say alot of people are upset by the passage of both bills (the other being the wolfdog ban for those who are new), especially those who worked so hard on it.

Hopefully we can do something about all of this.

Chris MAAO

Posted on Jul 11, 2000, 12:14 AM

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Michigan Bill

by Christine

Anyone interested in overturning Michigan SB 705, please contact me or the people listed below, preferably by phone (email me your number and I will be happy to call or send your number to Stacey or Jane).

A special thank you to Patti Nickerson who inadvertently gave us the idea. No doubt many of you recall the Detroit News poll which showed an OVERWHELMING lack of support for banning wolf dogs. I believe it was 88% against and 12 for the ban. Ms Nickerson wrote:

"If your so confident on your public vote gloria, why don't you put it on the ballot. It only takes so many signatures to get there. Only thing is, the state doesn't count cyberspace votes.

Sincerely,
Patti Nickerson"

Exactly our idea Patti, and we won't need any cyber votes. In fact, we will need a whole lot less signatures than we thought originally. You must be confusing the referendum petition with the initiative petition. To reject a law passed by the legislature is far easier than trying to get one on the ballot.

Even better, once the petition is filed, SB 705 cannot be enforced until the people of Michigan have a chance to vote on it. Which according to the Secretary or States petition office, won't be until 2003. And judging from not only the Detroit News poll but comments from dog groups everywhere, it seems pretty obvious that the people of Michigan do not want wolf dogs banned.

Again, I must thank you for your comment Patti. You have helped wolf dogs tremendously.

Anyone interested in helping, please contact either me (wlfdogrsq@aol.com), Stacey (cubsden@prodigy.net or Jane (lobolore@aol.com).
Only Michigan registered voters can sign the petition, but there is a great deal others can do to help as well.

Sincerely, gloria
Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue and Animal Sanctuary http://www.bignet.net/~zadymka/index.htm
810-364-2750

Hey, and don't forget to sign our new guestbook!



Posted on Jul 4, 2000, 1:55 PM

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Act 246 of 2000

by

Hey there, I sure would like to help out if possible, or at least sign anything/everthing I have a wolf/dog, he is 9 months old. I just found out that he is 25% wolf, but I have had him for about 7 months. The person I got him from had 'forgotten' to tell me about his heritage, and then 'slipped' one day during conversation about the new batch of puppies. I was attempting to make all the necessary arrangments to make him legal, but no one around here seems to know much about the law. I down loaded it and have been reading it, my goodness!! I even wrote the DNR about it and they told me that it was up to my counties County Control Officer....problem is, I work for the Sheriff dept and our county control person is breeding them and selling them, even though it is illegal, and that is where I got my puppy! I am at a total loss on what to do here, but I do know that this law is unfair, and I would like to see it gone. So, let me know what I can do. Rebekah McNeil

Posted on Dec 7, 2000, 11:51 PM

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Rejecting Michigan SB 705

by



Anyone interested in overturning Michigan SB 705, please contact me or the people listed below, preferably by phone (email me your number and I will be happy to call or send your number to Stacey or Jane).

A special thank you to Patti Nickerson who inadvertently gave us the idea. No doubt many of you recall the Detroit News poll which showed an OVERWHELMING lack of support for banning wolf dogs. I believe it was 88% against and 12 for the ban. Ms Nickerson wrote:

"If your so confident on your public vote gloria, why don't you put it on the ballot.
It only takes so many signatures to get there.  Only thing is,  the state doesn't count cyberspace votes. 
 
Sincerely,
Patti Nickerson"

Exactly our idea Patti, and we won't need any cyber votes. In fact, we will need a whole lot less signatures than we thought originally. You must be confusing the referendum petition with the initiative petition. To reject a law passed by the legislature is far easier than trying to get one on the ballot.

Even better, once the petition is filed, SB 705 cannot be enforced until the people of Michigan have a chance to vote on it. Which according to the Secretary or States petition office, won't be until 2003. And judging from not only the Detroit News poll but comments from dog groups everywhere, it seems pretty obvious that the people of Michigan do not want wolf dogs banned.

Again, I must thank you for your comment Patti. You have helped wolf dogs tremendously.

Anyone interested in helping, please contact either me (wlfdogrsq@aol.com), Stacey (cubsden@prodigy.net or Jane (lobolore@aol.com). Only Michigan registered voters can sign the petition, but there is a great deal others can do to help as well.

Sincerely,
gloria
Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue and Animal Sanctuary
http://www.bignet.net/~zadymka/index.htm
810-364-2750

Hey, and don't forget to sign our new guestbook!

Posted on Jul 4, 2000, 1:52 PM

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PETA's McCruel Child Abuse

by Christine

http://www.jewishworldreview.com -- KEEP A CLOSE EYE on your kids and grandkids, this summer. PETA's out to get them.

If you take your kids to McDonald's -- or even if they're just playing in the schoolyard -- PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) wants to traumatize them against meat, by giving them "Unhappy Meals."

In what is arguably its most outrageous campaign to date, PETA, the so-called "animal rights group," will soon pass out a box of the most sordid, disgusting "toys" imaginable to your youngsters. And they'll do so behind your back.

In a sickening parody of the perennial McDonald's kids promotion, PETA announced that it will go to schoolyards and McDonald's restaurant playgrounds to hand kids a package containing a stuffed "Son of Ron" doll --- a bloody Ronald McDonald wielding a bloody butcher's knife. The "Unhappy Meal" box, which will be handed out to children while they are playing in July and August, features a picture of a bloody, severed cow's head and allegations that McDonald's is responsible for cruelty to animals used for its food. Beneath the phrase "McCruelty to go" are descriptions of chickens and pigs crammed in small spaces.............

Source:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/schlussel062300.asp

Posted on Jul 4, 2000, 12:59 PM

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Highlights / Nickerson Police Report

by Suzanne



DOG ATTACK (HUMAN DEATH)

TIME / LOCATION

This incident occurred at approximately 1l:40 A.M. on 3-2-89. The incident was called in at
1:10 P.M. Officer arrived at 1:30 P.M. to the driveway area of Box 1087, Rte. 3 just off County Road PB in Tilden Township, National Mine Location.

SCENE

Officer arrived and was contacted by subjects who advised they had found the body of a child in the shoulder ditch-area of the listed driveway. The body was approximately 40 feet off the driveway in the snow. Two witnesses and two ambulance attendants were at the scene. Officer was advised the victim had no vital signs. The victim was checked by officer and he also found none. It was apparent to officer the victim had been deceased for some time.

There were blood stains sprayed in the snow and on the snow banks in the area. There were indications that there had been a struggle of some type in the driveway and in the snowy area near the driveway. This area covered about 200 feet from the start to where the body was located. There were clothing and personal items strewn around the driveway.

CONTACT WITH MOTHER OF VICTIM

PATTI JEAN NICKERSON,- W/F, DOB 9-9-60 of same address, TX 486-6909.
Arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after officer did. She was advised of the situation and gave officer the following information -

She advised she went to town to have her hair done and was accompanied by her boy friend DON MANNING. She has made arrangements with her parents to watch her daughter if she is not home. Sometimes her daughter did not go over to their home but would stay home and watch TV. She advised they have never had any trouble with the dogs before and she was not aware of her daughter being afraid of any of the animals.

INTERVIEW WITH DON MANNING

DON MANNING, boyfriend of the victim's mother lives at Box 44, M-3S, Palmer
TX- 475-5195. He advised he picked up PATTI after the kids went to school and they went shopping and when they returned they saw police. He did not know anything in particular about the incident until arriving and being briefed by undersigned officer. He stated that the dogs have been around and that he has not seen any vicious actions by either of the dogs since he has been in the area, although the one dog has been at the house for just a short time.

CONTACT WITH FRED ALDERTON

FRED ALDERTON, grandfather of the victim, is also co-owner of the Number 2 dog. He advised officers during their first contact with him that he did not know who the Number 1 dog belonged to. Both dogs were in his yard at this time in the driveway. ALDERTON gave officers permission to kill his dog when he was told what had happened.

ALDERTON advised he baby sits the victim when her mother is not home but did not know she was missing. He stated sometimes when she gets off the bus she goes home and watches TV and sometimes she comes over to his house.

Later, ALDERTON told officer that dog Number 1 belonged to his other daughter TAMI'S boyfriend. He told officer that neither of the dogs were mean and had never bit anybody. He said they have only had Number 2 dog for 8 or 10 months. About 6 weeks ago she had pups. None of the pups were outside at the time of the attack. He stated that Number 1 dog had been at the house for only one week. He said that he and TAMI and her boyfriend were in the house at the time of the attack and had hot heard anything.

DOGS INVOLVED

NUMBER 1 DOG: An eleven month old Husky, brown/ black/ white,-weight 110 lbs.; known by the name "IVAN". The owner has only had this dog for two weeks and purchased it from the HOUGHTON HUMANE SOCIETY. The dog had all of its shots and was not sick. It did not appear to be malnourished or abused.

NUMBER 2 DOG: A 1 1/2 year old Husky/ shepherd mix. brown/black in color, known by the name "BRANDY". This dog was previously owned by TIM HANSEN of Ishpeming.

NUNBER 3 DOG: Not found. An off-white mutt type dog with long hair weighing about
50 lbs. It is felt that this dog was not involved in the attack but happened to be in the area at the time.

Number 1 dog was shot and killed by TPR. SWEARENGIN in the driveway of the ALDERTON residence. The dog was shot 2 times with a 223 rifle and died on the spot. An autopsy on this dog showed it to be the main subject of the attack and the most involved in the victim's death.

Number 2 dog was shot by TPR. SWEARENGIN on County Road PB. It was shot a second time and died in the yard of ROY DELARYE about 100 feet from where it had been shot the first time. An autopsy on this dog showed it to also be involved in the death but to a lesser degree.

CONTACT WITH ELLA ALDERTON

ELLA ALDERTON, wife of FRED, advised she was gone during the attack but her husband, daughter (TAMI) and her boy-friend were home. She advised the victim comes over to her house after school sometimes if she feels like it. Other times she stays home and watches TV if her mother is not home. She did not have anything more to add than what FRED had told the officer.

RECONTACT FROM ANONYMOUS SOURCE:

The undersigned had been contacted by an anonymous source and advised that the items of clothing from the child that were missing could be located at DIANE JOHNSON'S residence located right next to the ALDERTON'S.

CONTACT DIANE JOHNSON:

In the early evening hours of 3/8/89 the undersigned and TROOPER KRUGIELKI had contact with DIANE JOHNSON of National Mine. Her house is located directly above the scene of where the body was located. Her driveway is located in about the area where the dog attack took place. She stated that she did pick up a hat in her driveway which was pink in color. She did pick up a sleeve in the middle of the driveway. Also a boot and a sock on the left side of the road. These items were picked up by herself. placed in a bag and then placed in the entryway to her house and then sent to the dump the next day. She had done this due to the fact that she had asked the grandfather FRED what she should do. FRED told her to pick the items up and she stated she did. Upon picking them up, she said "what shall I do with them?" and the grandfather told her to throw them away.

CONTACT MADE WITH FRED ALDERTON:

The undersigned went to the FRED ALDERTON residence and asked MR. ALDERTON to return to the rear seat of Car #6120 and at that point asked MR. ALDERTON if what his neighbor, DIANE JOHNSON, had stated was true. He stated "Yes". He was advised that we had been looking for these items, however, now that they were destroyed there was no sense in looking any further. As far as any questions about the incident at this point in time FRED ALDERTON advised that he had none. As far as his daughter to the best of his knowledge, his daughter has none.

Undersigned attempted to contact PATTI NICKERSON every day and each day, upon calling. was told that she was sleeping. However, upon her returning the calls the undersigned was not in the office.

INTERVIEW WITH ROY & GAIL DELARYE

ROY DELARYE of County Road PBD, Rt. 1, Ishpeming, advised officer that approximately 11:40 A.M. he looked out the kitchen window and observed the 2 dogs that were later killed, ripping and tearing what he thought was a bag of trash or a deer hide. This was in the area where the body was found. He advised that it is not uncommon for dogs in the National Mine area to be roaming around getting into people's trash, etc. He advised that there is also a trapper in the area and sometimes he has animal carcasses taken from his property by animals in the area. He advised that when he observed all the commotion with the police, etc. he went down to the scene and then realized that it was a small child that the dogs had been at and not anything else. It was in his yard the second animal died. The animal ran into his breezeway area and was later removed and destroyed.

GAIL is the wife of ROY and lives at the same address. She advised at 11:30 A.M. she saw the victim get off the bus and walk up her driveway. She said the victim was fine at the time and no dogs were around. She stopped looking out the window and went back about her business. She said a few minutes later her husband called her to the window to show her the dogs and she related the same story as he did about them.



INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL DAILY

MICHAEL JAY DAILY, W/M DOB 9/3/66, 105 E. Montezuma, Houghton, MI is the owner of dog Number 1. When he is not going to college at Houghton, resides at the ALDERTON residence. He advised that Number 1 dog is his having purchased it from the Houghton Humane Society 2 weeks ago. The Aldertons had been keeping the animal for him for approximately one week. The dog was current on his shots, and he had no idea as to why it would have attacked the victim. He stated that the dog has not shown any aggression towards anybody since he has owned it.

INTERVIEW MICHAEL JAY DAILY:

On 3/7/89 at approximately 1:15 P.M. MICHAEL JAY DAILY was interviewed at his place of residence on Montezuma Avenue in the village of Houghton. Interview took place in the front seat of Car U8120. MR. DAILY was advised why the undersigned and the prosecutor were there and that we needed a verification of the information he had originally provided to the trooper involved. MR. DAILY advised that he picked up the dog approximately one week ago on a Thursday from a person in Ahmeek. MI. This person is the person who keeps the dogs for the Humane Society. MR. DAILY advised that he had gone to this location four or five times before he took the dog. Upon first taking the dog, he brought the dog to the Frat House in Houghton where the dog was kept until he left to take it to the ALDERTON residence. He clarified the day that he picked the dog up as stating "it was a couple of days before he got out of school on break" which he believes to be 2/23/89. He stated that during the time he had the dog in Houghton the dog did break loose and he did have trouble enticing the dog back to be rechained. He stated that. upon getting out on the break for spring. he went to the National Mine area and took the dog with him. The dog was chained at that residence until 3/1/89. He believes about 3/1/89 the dog was unchained. He has no idea who released the dog. however. he advised that ELLA ANDERTON said that if the dog stayed around he could stay off of the chain. As to the party he picked the dog up from at Ahmeek. he stated he believes the woman's name was ROBERTA NIEMI. As far as obtaining any paperwork from the Humane Society, he said no paperwork was exchanged between himself and ROBERTA NIEMI.

Upon arriving in the National Mine area and attempting to license the dog, he had taken it to DR. ALTO in Negaunee to obtain his shots. He advised that when he picked the dog up he had been told by ROBERTA NIEMI that the dog had been beaten and was afraid of men. This is the reason he went to the location where the dog was kept four or five times in an attempt to gain the dog's confidence. As far as being mean, MICHAEL advised he didn't think the dog was mean. As far as the day in question. he advised that his girlfriend TAMMY and himself had fallen asleep in ELLA ALDERTON'S house. They were responsible for watching for the child to come home from school but they knew nothing of the incident until ELLA ALDERTON came home and told them what had happened. To the best of their knowledge they had been asked by PATTI NICKERSON, mother of the victim to watch for the child as PATTI was going into town with her boyfriend to have her hair fixed. MICHAEL stated the child was supposed to come up to Grandma's house after school


AUTOPSY HELD

On 3/3/89 DR. RANDY SMITH performed an autopsy upon the victim at Marquette General Hospital. A large amount of polaroid photos were taken by the undersigned of the victim along with polaroid shots of the dogs involved.

Approximately one hundred and twenty-five (l25) 35 mm photographs
were also taken by the undersigned reference this complaint.

It appears that the child was attacked and partially eaten by one or more of the animals involved in her death. Most of the skin and muscle area on the buttocks had been stripped. The muscle and skin area of the legs was stripped. A large area was open between the chest and the hip in the right back area and a large amount of intestines had been removed.

AUTOPSY DOG #1

Dog #1. which is the large male. was autopsied by DR. RANDY SMITH. Found in the stomach content of this animal was what appears to be the material that was stripped from the victim. This dog's head was severed from its' body and then skinned revealing the skeletal portion of the head. The teeth part of the dog were fitted into several wounds on the child and it appeared to be this animal that caused most of the damage to the child.

AUTOPSY DOG #2

This is the smaller female dog that was seen tugging on the child's clothing. There was nothing found in this dog's stomach other than bile and blood. Its' head was also skinned and the teeth did not match up with the wounds on the child.

DR. RANDY JOHNSON, Marquette County Health Doctor, came into the room during the autopsy. Due to the type of death involved and the fact that there were 2 dogs involved, both of their brains are being shipped to the Health Dept. in Lansing to determine if they were rabid or not. Both of these brains were packaged separately and given to DR. RANDY JOHNSON who said he would transport these items to the Health Lab in Lansing.

On 3/8/89the undersigned was contacted by DR. RANDY SMITH and advised that he had been advised by DR. RANDY JOHNSON of the Marquette Co. Health Dept. that neither one of the dogs were rabid.










Posted on Jul 1, 2000, 8:18 AM

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SB 705 Michigan wolf dog ban

by gloria

Gov. signed the bill. Wolf dogs are banned in Michigan. Good luck identifying a wolf dog. My, my, won't Duman be busy........and wealthy. What a country. Makes me lonesome for my Argentina. At least there, the dictators are obvious.


gloria
Michigan Wolf dog rescue
http://www.bignet.net/~zadymka/index.htm

Posted on Jun 30, 2000, 7:46 PM

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Thanx

by Patti

for all your help!

Sincerely,
Patti Nickerson

Posted on Jun 30, 2000, 9:37 PM

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Michigan SB 705

by Suzanne

Patti,

Your victory is hollow because it is based on lies. There was no valid proof that Ivan was a wolf dog. This state law was passed on false information given by you, a so-called WD expert, and the MI HSUS.

Remember the skull study that you claimed was done on Ivan? Why didn't you produce this study??? Because there was no skull study! The real truth will come out in the end and some folks will have alot of explaining to do......

Posted on Jul 1, 2000, 8:33 AM

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Court Will Name Monitor for Waystation Wildlife:

by Christine

http://www.latimes.com/editions/valley/20000630/t000061954.html

Court Will Name Monitor for Waystation Wildlife: The haven for animals agrees to a three-year extension of probation. Discharge of pollutants must be stopped.


By SUE FOX, Times Staff Writer

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST--Wildlife Waystation, the troubled animal sanctuary near Lake View Terrace, has admitted violating the terms of its three-year probation for altering stream beds and agreed to the court appointment of a special master to monitor compliance, county prosecutors said Thursday. The agreement will extend probation for another three years at the 120-acre refuge, home to grizzly bears, tigers, and other exotic animals.

It also requires the waystation to stop discharging pollutants, animal and human waste into state waters, to repair deficient cages and fix gaps in fences.

"This is a very positive move," said Deputy Dist.
Atty. Robert Miller. "The waystation seems to be ready to roll. They're cooperative, they're positive, and they've made every indication that they intend to make this work."

The waystation was barred from accepting new animals or giving public tours in April, after state Department of Fish and Game officials found workers hosing animal waste off cages, possibly endangering nearby creeks. Other alleged violations included cages that were too small or too crowded.

In May, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office asked the court to impose stiffer conditions on the facility.

Martine Colette, director and founder of the
25-year-old Wildlife Waystation, said she was very pleased with the agreement filed Thursday in Newhall Superior Court.

"I'm excited to have a special master that will assist us in our negotiations with the Department of Fish and Game," Colette said, adding that she hopes the facility will reopen in a matter of days.

The refuge, a favorite charity of Hollywood celebrities such as actress Dyan Cannon, says it has rehabilitated more than 4,000 injured wild animals annually, with as many as 1,200 in its cages at any given time. More than 300,000 people a year have visited the facility.

The court will now appoint a special master, an objective observer familiar with California's rules for housing and caring for exotic animals. The special master will visit the waystation as often as needed "to report to the court on the progress of the remediation of violations," according to the stipulation signed by Miller and Byron Countryman, the waystation's attorney.
Both the wildlife refuge and the district attorney's office can nominate candidates for the post.

The special master will draw up a list of specific remedies the waystation must perform during its probation.

The court is scheduled to appoint the special master at a July 27 hearing.


Posted on Jun 30, 2000, 12:53 PM

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EXTREMELY URGENT- IMMEDIATE RESPONSE NEEDED! OHIO

by Christine

Please post and cross post

Wooster, Ohio June 19, 2000

The City of Wooster introduced, unanimously voted on and passed today, a new ordinance that targets all animals and also BANS specific breeds. While a typical ordinance allows for three readings, open to public input, this ordinance was pushed through in a single evening. The new components of the ordinance are designed to update Wooster’s 12 year old animal control law.

The ordinance was suggested to the City Council by Wayne County Assistant Dog Warden Beth Carr, and was introduced by Councilwoman Judi Mitten.

Background of the Ordinance:

In a telephone conversation with a supervisor at the Wayne County Humane Society, problems with: “these types of dogs” have been increasing in Wooster and Wayne County. No accurate statistics were available from the HS.
Loose dogs, dog bites, and owners who violate local laws repeatedly were cited as reasons that the HS supports the ordinance. I was also told that: ”we were backed into a corner on this” when I questioned why other avenues were not explored, and that this ordinance will affect responsible dog owners as well. The HS employee also assured me that: **We won’t be going door to door to enforce this ordinance.” **”It’s not the intent of this ordinance to target responsible dog owners”

Editor’s note: The best laws are written so that their intent and wording are in harmony. While the current officials may not plan to implement the law to affect responsible dog/ animal owners, it would be perfectly legal for future enforcement officials to go door to door, impound dogs on the spot, etc.

According to an article in the Wooster Daily record, the purpose of the ban from Animal Control’s perspective, is that prohibiting pit bulls from the city of Wooster and other municipalities will prevent dog fighting and related illegal activity in these comminutes. There have been no reports of planned or organized dog fights in Wayne County.

OBJECTIONABLE PORTIONS OF THE ORDINANCE:

A Dangerous animal (not just a dog) is defined as follows:

A dangerous animal means an animal that, without provocation has chased or approached in either a menacing fashion or an apparent attitude of attack, or has bitten or attempted to bite or otherwise endanger any person, or has bitten another animal while the animal is off the premises of its owner, keeper, harborer or other responsible person. Further, a dangerous animal means an animal that without provocation has bitten any person while on the premises of its owner, keeper or harborer.
**********
Problems:
1.There is no declaration of what constitutes a bite, therefore, dogs/ cats/ etc playing with other dogs/cats/etc where mouthing/biting is demonstrated would be classified as dangerous under the current wording of this ordinance.

2.A dog/cat/ etc can bite or attempt to bite a person and the consequences are the same. Thus, a dog/cat/etc that lunges at a person and a dog/cat/etc that bites a person are classified in the same manner.
**********
Dangerous animals may be ordered destroyed, removed from the city, or continue to be kept in the City, subject to the following restrictions:

A.Animals must be kept on a choker collar and be muzzled when off the premises. No other collar type is noted, so no buckle collars or head-halter type collars may be used.

B.The dangerous animal must be restrained on their property so as to prevent it from escaping or from attacking or biting any person with privilege to enter upon the property.
**********
Problem- “privilege” is not defined. Who has privilege, who does not?

Animals may be destroyed based on fairly minor behavioral problems such as lunging & barking at passersby, while dogs/cats/etc that have caused harm may be removed to other communities, posing a future public health and safety concern.

Since “animals’ is used here, cats and other household pets such as rabbits, birds, guinea pigs, etc may also be defined as dangerous.
Muzzling and placing cats or other pets on choker collars may not be the intent of the legislators, but would be required under this ordinance.

**********
A Vicious animal is defined as an animal that:
Has killed or caused serious injury to any person
**Has caused other than killing or serious injury to any person or has killed another animal.
Belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog.


Wooster’s definition of a “pit bull” includes, but is NOT LIMITED to the American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier or American Staffordshire Terrier, or any mixed breed of dog which includes as an element of its breeding any of the aforementioned breeds so as to be identifiable as partially of any of the aforementioned breeds.

Vicious dogs are not permitted in the city. The court may order the vicious dog destroyed or removed from the city.
**********
Problems:
1.The difference between a dog being declared dangerous for biting a person, or being declared vicious for causing other than serious injury to a person is unclear. There is no language which defines specifically what is serious (ex- wounds requiring stitches, broken bones), and what constitutes “other than serious”.

2.Breed specific language is highly problematic in many ways. I was informed by the HS supervisor that she is a breed expert, and will utilize AKC and UKC breed standards to make a determination. When asked if she was familiar with these standards, she said she was “primarily familiar”, meaning she had a basic description of the animal to go by. She has also attended Cruelty Investigation training offered by the National Animal Control Assoc, where breed Identification is a part of the curriculum. NACA’s code of ethics clearly states that they do not support BSL .

3.Dogs may be destroyed based solely on their appearance, and not their behavior, while dogs that have caused serious harm may be removed to other communities, posing a future public health and safety concern.

4.A dog that has killed a squirrel, mouse, mole, etc may be classified as vicious.

5. A cat or other household pet that has scratched, etc a person or killed a mouse, etc may be deemed vicious, and be subject to killing or removal from the city.

This ordinance will go into effect in 30 days (July 19) There is still time to voice your concerns with this ordinance, propose alternatives, and let Wooster know that this piece of legislation harshly punishes responsible animal owners who pose no threat to the community.:

Beth Carr- Wayne County Dog Warden:
330-287-5410
Wayne County Humane Society:
330-262-0152 or
http://www.wchs.org/wchs/news.html
1611 Mechanicsburg Rd
Wooster, OH 44691

60% of their funding comes from Wayne County and the City of Wooster. The HS has a contract with the City of Wooster to enforce their leash law (which includes cats). The County Dog Warden enforces other laws, and the county has a contract with the HS to house all impounded dogs.

Editor’s note-
Please note that this agency carries the word “humane” in it’ s name. Agencies that profess to care for animals and be advocates for their welfare are in direct conflict with this philosophy when they support legislation that encourages the killing of a specific type of animal based solely on its appearance.
This HS euthanizes all bull breeds that come into their facility, none are adopted out.

Responsible animal owners are URGED to immediately contact:

City of Wooster Officials:

City of Wooster
538 N Market St
PO Box 1128
Wooster, OH 44691-7082
330-263-5200
330-263-5247 (FAX)

MAYOR James Howey
COUNCIL PRESIDENT James Thompson
COUNCIL MEMBERS James Hodges, Barbara Hustwit, Anne O’Planick, Judi Mitten (sponsor),
AT LARGE Bob Breneman, Inell Keller, Tom Vura CLERK Sheila Stanley
Law Director:
Richard Benson
330-263-5248 ###
He has been working closely with Animal Warden Beth Carr on this ordinance.

Police Chief
Steve Thornton
330-287-5700

Melanie Tierney
Canine Friends of Cleveland
PO Box 37140 Maple Hts, OH 44137
216-556-5PET
aegis66@msn.com
--
Crystal
http://www.welcome.to/Humans4antiBSL
webpage http://www.egroups.com/community/humans4anti-BSL

Posted on Jun 26, 2000, 10:10 PM

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Update on Waystation

by Christine


http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20000609/t000054765.html

Friday, June 9, 2000 | Print this story

More Violations Found at Closed Animal Sanctuary By ZANTO PEABODY, Times Staff Writer State and county investigators have turned up more than a dozen new violations at the Wildlife Waystation, but deferred additional penalties to give the beleaguered wild animal sanctuary a chance to solve its problems, officials said Thursday.

A nine-agency inspection team released a report Thursday outlining scores of safety and environmental violations, including those cited two months ago by the state Department of Fish and Game in closing the sanctuary to human visitors and new animals.

Most of the new violations focus on illegal housing for about 70 employees that has no running water and an incomplete septic system. In one instance during a May 12 inspection, investigators discovered a downed, live electric wire allowed to hang in dry brush, the report said.

Citing the valuable service the Wildlife Waystation provides, Lari Sheehan, a county official who oversees unincorporated areas, said the agencies decided to give the sanctuary a chance to comply with regulations rather than impose additional sanctions.

"We are waiting for the Wildlife Waystation to get back to us and let us know what they can do and when they can do it," Sheehan said. "We're not going to brush anything under the carpet, but the Waystation is providing an important service. Rather than going in and stomping all over the place, we are trying to provide a way so they can continue to provide that service and come into compliance."

Despite the new allegations, Fish and Game spokesman Steve Martarano said department officials are impressed with caging and water improvements at the Waystation and may relax some restrictions, though he gave no time frame.
Such a move might allow the sanctuary to resume accepting small injured animals for rehabilitation, but would not permit the facility to again accept larger animals or to welcome public tours, he said.

Under the direction of Ollie Blanning, a senior deputy to Supervisor Mike Antonovich, regulators from the Los Angeles County departments of Health, Public Works, Fire, the county counsel's office, Building Safety, Animal Care and Control and Regional Planning, as well as the state Regional Water Quality Control Board and Housing and Community Development Department, inspected the 120-acre compound on May 12.

"We hoped in the committee that everyone who had a concern would be included," Blanning said. "I think it is an exhaustive look at the Waystation."
Blanning serves as an unpaid director of the Wildlife Waystation, but denied that her dual roles present a conflict of interest.

Martine Colette, founder and director of the Wildlife Waystation, received the agencies' reports a week after the May 12 inspection. On Thursday she said she has not yet analyzed the 16 pages of violations and recommendations.

Some of the costly requirements, such as installation of a water treatment system, might take a year to complete, she said.
"I need to have the opportunity to raise money; we don't just have it sitting in the bank," Colette said.

"The city wants us to reopen. The county wants us to reopen. Nobody is saying we don't want to fix the problems."

In an unrelated matter, Colette was convicted on May 26 of a criminal misdemeanor in Arizona for illegally transporting a tiger in February, said David Boyd, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Game and Fish.

A judge sentenced Colette to probation, which complicates her plans to operate a for-profit wild animal ranch near the Arizona-California border, Boyd said.

Arizona's Game and Fish Department denied Colette's application for a zoo permit on May 12 because the proposed site is zoned for residential development and her idea of a combination transitional sanctuary and exhibition park does not meet Arizona's definition of a zoo, Boyd said.
Colette said she plans to appeal the permit denial, and consider other locations. The Tribal Council of the Mojave Nation is scheduled to visit the Wildlife Waystation before deciding whether to allow Colette to build the new park, Wilderness Edge, on a reservation at the banks of the Colorado River.


Posted on Jun 9, 2000, 1:41 PM

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Dogs in Wolves' Clothing May Keep Species From Utah

by Christine


Well, here is another who would keep us from owning/breeding wolfdogs.
http://www.sltrib.com/06012000/utah/54072.htm

Dogs in Wolves' Clothing May Keep Species From Utah
Thursday, June 1, 2000
BY JUDY FAHYS

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

Darlene Kobobel loves wolves and their cousins, wolf-dogs. She runs a Colorado rescue center for wolf-dog crossbreeds, but she also advocates outlawing them as pets.

"They're giving wolves a bad name," she says.

The question of wolf-dogs is one she hopes Utah will take up as part of its deliberations on the future of wild wolves in Utah.

Sorting out the confusion between wolves and their part-domesticated cousins will grow in importance this summer. The state Wildlife Board will hold public meetings on dealing with these endangered species as they begin returning to Utah after a 70-year hiatus. While wolves may be blamed for killing livestock, people knowledgeable about them say the real troublemakers, the animals that need to be controlled more, are wolf-dogs.

About a dozen states and some communities regulate wolf-dogs as wild animals that cannot be kept as pets.

Ricke E. Danvir, a northern Utah rancher and member of the Utah Wildlife Board, says it may be a good idea to add the crossbreed question to the list of issues for this summer's Regional Advisory Council meetings on wolf reintroduction.

Kobobel says the trouble with wolf-dogs is that they do not feel at home in a house or in the wild.

They often look much like their near-mythic wild kin, with golden eyes and burly forms -- even more eerily wolflike sometimes when crossbred with malemutes or huskies.

Ill-suited for life in someone's back yard, wolf-dogs tend to slip chains and scale kennel fences. And as they get older, they grow more predatory, regarding kids, house pets and farm animals as prey. And wolflike traits that give them a fanatical following are the same characteristics that often drive people to release their unruly crossbreeds into the wild and ultimately fuel the public controversy about wild wolves.

Whether wolf-dogs should be banned or more tightly regulated in Utah is a question awaiting wildlife managers as they begin to revisit the state's policy on wild wolves, which are slowly expanding their home turf beyond the three original reintroduction sites in Idaho and Montana.
Bounty hunters eliminated the last of Utah's wild wolves around 1930.

But some people insist wolves already have returned.

Utah wildlife officers field 10 or more calls a year from Utahns who swear they have seen wolves. But the officers have come to believe the people who have phoned them have seen something wolflike but not wolves.

They are skeptical because wild wolves are quite shy and do not seek human company. Nor are they raised on a taste for ranch-raised cattle or sheep.
Wolves mainly eat wild game.
That's opposite of wolf-dogs, which typically are raised around people and start life on a diet of lamb- or beef-flavored kibble.

Last fall, wolflike animals were blamed for killing stock near Kemmerer, Wyo., and Soda Springs, Idaho, but no one is certain the culprits were wolves, crossbreeds or another kind of animal.

Some ranchers and hunters already have said wild wolves have no place in Utah because they might harm livestock and because they might deplete elk and deer and other hunting stock. They say the potential harm of wolves outweighs any value they may have in restoring the natural balance in Utah wildlands.

At the same time, there is little evidence proving that true wild wolves have been the problem.
There are an estimated 400,000 wolf crossbreeds, according to Ed Bangs, who oversees the federal wolf recovery program for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
And many of them are running loose because of people who decided their half-wild pets might do better if they could live with a wolf pack. The trouble is, wolf-dogs cannot survive long in the wild either, he says.
"We urge people to not buy these hybrids," says Bangs. "And if you do want to get rid of it, don't go out in the country and turn it loose."

Kobobel agrees. She says dog breeders, motivated by greed and buyers rapt with wolves, are bringing more wolf-dogs into the world than the world can handle.

"Wolves should be wolves," Kobobel says, "and dogs should be dogs."

Her wolf-dog shelter outside of Colorado Springs receives about 300 inquiries a year from people looking for a home for unmanageable wolf-dogs. And sanctuaries throughout the United States are jammed to overflowing.

"We're not able to take them here," says Karen Green, manager of the animal-placement assistance office at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill shelter in Kanab. "They are wild animals."

Meanwhile, many pet shelters have a policy of putting wolf-dogs to sleep because they generally make poor pets. The Humane Society of Utah in Murray is among them.
"It's kind of the Frankenstein of the dog world," says John Fox, the Human Society's chief investigator.

"It's so hard on these dogs," agrees Kobobel. The most humane thing for these extraordinary animals -- and for the wild wolves -- would be for people to stop being selfish and stop buying wolf-dogs.

"If you truly love wolves," she says, "support a reintroduction program."


Posted on Jun 2, 2000, 12:16 AM

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I just recieved a call from Dr. Mech's office,

by


and was given permission to post the following:

"The dog is a sub species of the wolf. The wolf is canis lupus and the dog is canis lupus familiaris".

I asked TWICE and wrote it down so as not not use any of my own words and be very clear. The statement above is Dr. Mech's.

I know there are disagreements within the scientific community regarding this issue. And I am trying to reach as many mammologists, wolf biologists and geneticists as possible in order to understand clearly what is going on.

I believe Dr. Pierotti was correct when he said that the Michigan Bill in effect bans all dogs. Apparently, so does the Shambala proposal. They are both going to have trouble passing, especially with the current terminology regarding canines.

gloria
Michigan Wolf Dog and Northern Breed Rescue
http://www.bignet.net/~zadymka/index.htm


Posted on May 16, 2000, 3:03 PM

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AWA Funding Increases by 2 million - HSUS applauds decision.

by Greg.


http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0511-152.html


HSUS Applauds $2 Million Funding Increase for AWA

U.S. Newswire
11 May 16:30
HSUS Commends Appropriations Committee on $2 Million Increase for Animal Welfare Enforcement
To: National Desk
Contact: Karen Allanach, 301-548-7778
or Howard White, 301-258-3072
both of the Humane Society of the United States

WASHINGTON, May 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- This week, the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees approved a welcome increase of
$2 million in the Agriculture Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2001, for enforcement of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). But an
official from The Humane Society of the United States noted that the increase will not eliminate the problems that currently exist at thousands of animal facilities nationwide.

"While Congress has taken an important step in increasing funding for the Animal Welfare Act, overall funding remains insufficient to deal with the magnitude of the regulatory task facing the U.S. Department of Agriculture," said Wayne Pacelle, a HSUS senior vice president. "A total of $12 million is not enough to properly police
more than 10,000 facilities exhibiting and using animals."

The Committees' action this week follows approval last fall by Congress of a $1 million increase for the USDA's Animal Care unit, the first increase in almost a decade. Under the AWA, which was first
enacted in 1966, Animal Care inspectors are responsible for ensuring humane conditions at a broad range of facilities including
laboratories, puppy mills, zoos, circuses and airlines. Inadequate funding has led to a deficit in the number of inspectors to handle a
heavy workload nationwide. There were only 64 inspectors last year (down from 88 in 1992) and the number of inspections declined 40
percent over the past decade. Many facilities are not inspected for years at a time. Of those that are visited, 45 percent are found to be out of compliance with AWA regulations.

"Lax enforcement invites inhumane treatment of animals and public safety risks, including disease transmission and escape by exotic animals," Pacelle said. "To prevent animal abuse before it occurs, inspectors must have a strong, frequent presence at all facilities, not just those already known to have serious problems."

A unique coalition consisting of animal protection groups and entities regulated by the AWA, such as biomedical researchers and zoos, has joined forces to push for increased funding of AWA enforcement. Pacelle credited this coalition of more than 400 organizations with presenting a united front that captured the attention of the Appropriations Committees as well as the Clinton Administration.

"The public expects the Animal Welfare Act to be rigorously enforced, and these funds will help fulfill that responsibility," Pacelle said. "Two million dollars is an improvement over last year,
but we need to keep building on this success in the years to come." Congress is expected to conclude action before the next federal
fiscal year begins on October 1, 2000.

------
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than 7.3 million members and
constituents.



-0-
/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
05/11 16:30

Copyright 2000, U.S. Newswire
===

Posted on May 12, 2000, 8:11 PM

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.......and this one.

by

HIPOCRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Concerned

To complain about misrepresented hybrids? You've
been selling misrepresented litters for years.
When confronted to your face you call your buyers liars and try to smear their reputations.
You keep your mutts on chains. You are a hiprocrit. Your conditions are terrible to house 30 something animals, and you want to get more? How many of your aggressive pups have ended up in rescue? You've sold previous pups as 80-90 percent to people when they are most likely 0-25 percent. 2 years ago you were lucky someone sold you 3 higher percent pups to add wolf to your stock.
Why do you only advertise your new ones on your website. What happened to the old ones you use to breed. Not good enough anymore? What happened to your old webpage advertising them?.
You have been using the lists to sell your wares and ALWAYS have litters available. Now you are advertising upcoming litters on your webpage from animals in their FIRST heats.
Could'nt take the heat on the Wolf Dunn, why? Others are finally finding you out and how you
operate???
Those who have confronted you as friends were called liars among other things. They cared about you, and you told them to basically F*** off.

It astounds me that you actually got NEDA to register your new pups. They new about your past. Because of breeders such as yourself we lose our hybrids;they get banned;go to rescue;cause incidents.
You are part of the problem, not the solution. You have been around too long not to know what you are doing. You never cared. All you wanted was notariety as a "breeder of high percenters" for money and the attention it would give you.
You cannot control them from breeding nor do you breed responsibly.

I hope you finally get what you deserve for badmouthing the ones who you called liars when they found out the hard way the truth about you.
I am truly sorry for the rest of your dogs.

C


Posted on May 12 2000 , 12:57 PM
from IP address 24.4.254.2
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Posted on May 12, 2000, 6:33 PM

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HIPOCRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Concerned

To complain about misrepresented hybrids? You've
been selling misrepresented litters for years.
When confronted to your face you call your buyers liars and try to smear their reputations.
You keep your mutts on chains. You are a hiprocrit. Your conditions are terrible to house 30 something animals, and you want to get more? How many of your aggressive pups have ended up in rescue? You've sold previous pups as 80-90 percent to people when they are most likely 0-25 percent. 2 years ago you were lucky someone sold you 3 higher percent pups to add wolf to your stock.
Why do you only advertise your new ones on your website. What happened to the old ones you use to breed. Not good enough anymore? What happened to your old webpage advertising them?.
You have been using the lists to sell your wares and ALWAYS have litters available. Now you are advertising upcoming litters on your webpage from animals in their FIRST heats.
Could'nt take the heat on the Wolf Dunn, why? Others are finally finding you out and how you
operate???
Those who have confronted you as friends were called liars among other things. They cared about you, and you told them to basically F*** off.

It astounds me that you actually got NEDA to register your new pups. They new about your past. Because of breeders such as yourself we lose our hybrids;they get banned;go to rescue;cause incidents.
You are part of the problem, not the solution. You have been around too long not to know what you are doing. You never cared. All you wanted was notariety as a "breeder of high percenters" for money and the attention it would give you.
You cannot control them from breeding nor do you breed responsibly.

I hope you finally get what you deserve for badmouthing the ones who you called liars when they found out the hard way the truth about you.
I am truly sorry for the rest of your dogs.

C

Posted on May 12, 2000, 12:57 PM

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Case of the pot calling the kettel black?

by JD

<<I was trying one more time to make her see that she NEEDS pens>>

So Bonnie, why are you trying to get someone else to see the NEED for pens when I hear you got animals on chains yourself?

a concerned wd owner

Posted on May 12, 2000, 10:56 AM

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Tippi's comments on the Bob Villa show Saturday, May 6

by

Here is the url:

http://www.pettalk.com/pg1.html

You will need to have Real Audio installed on your computer. Click on Sat. show. It is at the end of the tape.

Tippi said they were re-writing the bill to make it more understandable and hoping to have it introduced by the end of this week in both houses of congress.


Posted on May 11, 2000, 7:51 AM

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Letter to Tippi

by

Below is a copy of my letter posted to the Shambala Forum under the Guestbook link.


Ms. Tippi Hedren,

I am writing to voice my strong disapproval of The Shambala Act. This Bill seems to be written with the full intent of a mass euthanasia of the animals "protected" therein!

Many folks should NOT own any form of animal let alone an exotic animal as we all know; however, the Shambala bill will NOT stop this scenario. These owners will simply move underground and hide the animals and it will become a black market type situation. The animals will live under very poor conditions and have little if any veterinary care.

I listened to your interview Saturday (May 6) on the Bob Villa show. Ms. Culver asked you how this Bill would affect current permit holders and this was your reply: "It does not affect them at all. I wish everyone would really, really look at the bill-I am not trying to ban animals." Sorry Tippi, but I am not a fool and I CAN read…. You are misleading owners and the lawmakers with your statements. If this bill were to become law, I would lose my animals or they would have to DIE!!!

You definitely are trying to penalize current permit holders by the liability insurance and surety bond requirement clauses. I have had a USDA permit for the past 15 years and have had no problems with my inspectors, no accidents, and no escaped animals. I am not currently breeding and doubt if I will breed in the future, so we support the care of our animals out of our own pocket as we do not solicit donations from the public such as you do. We do our own work in our facility and do not have volunteers or hired help to "scoop the poop" as you do. We are in our early 60's and are semi retired and would be classed as a middle income family. I have inquired as to the cost of the insurance and the surety bond and find that it would be a minimum of $5000. per year and we would have to have assets of $500,000. to $1,000,000. to cover the surety bond. I cannot afford such costs. The Shambala Bill is NOT about good animal care as you try to indicate, it is all about MONEY and the removal of the animals from all but the "Rich & Famous"!

You have also exempted your self and others like you from having to have these permits….just why is this? Two of your ASA members (Wildlife Waystation and the Asvestas Wildlife Animal Orphanage in TX) have already had massive problems with the authorities citing improper animal care, death of animals during transport, pollution by human and animal waste, and improper animal housing. There is every indication that your sanctuary status should NOT exempt you or your members from the regulations that you are trying to impose on others.

Sincerely, Suzanne Smith


Posted on May 11, 2000, 10:29 AM

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Telling like it is

by Christine

Excellent letter, Suzanne.

I would like to add to your mention of the surety bonds and ins. costs.

Not only would someone have to spend the $5000.00 per year for the liability insurance and have assets of 500,000.00 to 1,000,000.00 to purchase the bonds, the cost of those bonds would range anywhere from 35,000.00 to 50,000.00 per year.

Yes, indeed. Only the Rich and Famous, or Infamous and the "sanctuaries" could afford to keep their animals. Most of us Regular Joes would be forced to have our animals put down, which I suspect is the intent of this bill.

Posted on May 11, 2000, 10:49 AM

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Liability insurance and surety bonds to cover our animals per Shambala

by Christine

Talked to my ins. agent today.

Basing on 10.00 per day (the amount Asvestes was charging to care for a monkey at her facility) X 10 years (just averaging that an animal might live that long) would = $36,500.00 bond for one animal per year. 10 animals would = 365,000.00 in surety bonds per year.

IF (big if) anyone would write the surety bond we would be talking in the neighborhood of 5,000.00 for 250,000.00 per year or 10,000 per year for 500,000.00 and I would have to prove I had a net worth of 250,000.00 to 500,000.00 before the bond could be written.

One must have the assets to put up against such a bond and in the event that I was unable to care for the animals, either due to illness or death or because USDA or the state or whatever said I wasn't, the bonding co. would attach my assets and sell them off to cover the bond.


The liability insurance, he said would probably be around 5,000.00 per year, per facility. Made no difference whether 1 or 50 animals. Again, it would be difficult to find a co. really wanting to write such a policy but would be a whole lot easier than getting someone to write the surety bond.

Now, ain't that pretty.

Posted on Apr 28, 2000, 10:43 PM

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Shambala <SHAM> Act now has a FORUM within it......

by Greg.

for those that wish to comment. Seems a NEW TACT is taking shape. One of "what are your thoughts" and "how can we make this idea work" kinda logic. Why write or assist in the writing of this?? To allow those like the Waystation to stay in operation and to be exempt from the regulations?? NOT!!

Greg.

Posted on Apr 25, 2000, 1:26 PM

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......go to the Guestbook and hit the "Forum" word. :) n/m

by Greg.

n/m

Posted on Apr 25, 2000, 1:28 PM

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Shambala Bill

by

I would like it to be known that I am one of the co-authors of the bill, it seems to me that you are not reading this bill properly or you are misreading it. To clarify: Facilities like Shambala and Wildlife Waystation: infact all animal sanctuaries will have to be licensed just as the exotic pet owners would be. Shambala, Wildlife Waystation and many others already have had to obtain USDA licenses. The Sanctuaries that are not holding licenses will certainly have to do so.

As for the constant bashing of sanctuaries such as Wildlife Waystation. When you yourselves have to obtain your permits you will realize just how much goes into operating a facility as such, only yours will be on a smaller scale. Dont point the finger to often, you may well find yourself in the same position one day.

Respectfully.

Carol Asvestas

Posted on Apr 25, 2000, 5:27 PM

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The "scale" of the operation has NOTHING to do with it......

by Greg.

and I was a holder of a USDA permit for many years. The "scale" of the operation has nothing to do with it. The holder of the permit is suppose to know the requirements of the APHIS rules and is held accountable for them. I was inspected by both State and Federal Inspectors and had MINOR infractions noted.....things like replac the rubber door mat to the outside run area. I had NO infractions that affected the health of either the animals, the community or the creek that ran behind my property. Be forwarned that you are NOT talking to a bunch of rookies when dealing with USDA permits. It would seem that the same can not be said of the Waystation or Tippi.

Greg.

Posted on Apr 25, 2000, 9:37 PM

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Ms. Asvestas, Please explain this to us since we seem NOT to be able to read:

by Christine

PAGE 7 OF THE SHAMBALA BILL

12 ''(e) EXCEPTIONS TO PERMIT REQUIREMENTS.-The
13 following persons or entities are not required to obtain a
14 permit from the Secretary for the personal possession of
15 a protected wild animal in any State:
16 ''(1) Any agency or official of the Federal Gov-
17 ernment or of a State or local government acting in
18 their official capacity.
19 ''(2) Any research facility.
20 ''(3) Any zoo, animal park, or wildlife sanctuary
21 that requests and receives such an exception from
22 the Secretary so long as the wildlife sanctuary con-
23 forms to all Federal, State, and local statutes relat-
24 ing to the operation of wildlife sanctuaries.


Posted on Apr 25, 2000, 9:42 PM

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The long and short of your dilema, Mrs. Asvestas is as follows:

by Greg.

SHAMbala Act is just that - a SHAM for all the "wildlife sanctuarys" that have suddenly appeared over the last 4-6 months to NOT be subject to the permit requirements and most likely NOT be subject to the USDA/APHIS rules OR Inspections. Cute ploy. Lemme give ya a clue. It will NEVER happen. This is nothing more than an end run by those that think they have the financial clout and political leverage to squirm this garbage through Congress. Be my guest and TRY!!!!!!!!! When the true story DOES come out <my but you'll look perky on a 20/20 episode>, the smug attitude and demeanor you now tout will be more subdued, I would expect. Give it your best shot and I can just see the line of Hollywood personalities line up for THIS. Sure will be good PR for them when they are caught with their mouths wide open asnwering questions to this topic. I wanna see Tippi and company talk their way outta this one. You all need to get you heads outta the clouds and your feet on the ground. Remember that we here are for RESPONSIBLE ownership by ALL, not a select few that feel that they can SHAM themselves into a position of non regulation. We can all see where that has gotten you and the Waystation in the past.

Greg Largent.

Greg.

Posted on Apr 27, 2000, 3:42 PM

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Shambala site Guestbook IS making an impact - They wiped it clean.

by Greg.

Below is the entry I found on visiting the Shambala Guestbook this morning.

"There is so much confusion about the Shambala Bill, we have decided to clear and
restart the guestbook. Please keep in touch, we are endeavoring to answer many of
your questions through video of Tippi answering your questions herself. This should be
available shortly."
Sunny Harris <sunny@shambala.org>
Acton, CA USA - Tuesday, April 25, 2000 at 02:26:11 (EDT)

I would hope that ALL here will visit this site and put forth your thoughts on the valuable lesson that Tippi and company are showing the world - that being the total disregard for RESPONSIBLE owners of Exotic Animals. When do you think they willask for OUR opinions and thoughts?????? But then again, why would or should those that own the animals write the legislation for THEM, under thier BANNER OR NAMESAKE??

Greg.




Posted on Apr 25, 2000, 8:31 AM

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Posted on Apr 24, 2008, 7:40 PM

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Waystation charges released

by Christine

http://www.latimes.com/communities/news/burbank-glendale_metro/20000419/tgn0003704.html

Wednesday, April 19, 2000

News from Sunland, Tujunga in the Times Community Newspapers Waystation charges released Officials hope list of alleged violations will create better dialogue.

By RYAN CARTER ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- The California Department of Fish and Game released on Friday specific allegations of violations by the Wildlife Waystation.

"We've spelled it out in written form,"
said Department of Fish and Game spokesman Steve Martarano.

He said the charges were sent to waystation founder Martine Colette and other waystation officials a week after inspectors ordered the facility to stop receiving animals and giving tours.

"What we hope now is that we can get on with having a meaningful dialogue, Martarano said.
The charges revolve around five creeks, or drainage areas, which flow from the waystation: Poison Oak Wash, Horse Canyon Creek, Buck Creek, Old Supply Creek and Cat Creek.

They are:
* Placing garbage and abandoned vehicles within 150 feet of waters of the state.
* Oil seeping from abandoned vehicles, which could enter state waters if it rains.
* A creek bed being made into a horse corral, removing riparian vegetation, and resulting in a loss of habitat.
* Manure and debris deposits into tributaries.
* Obstructed water flows.
* Feces and urine along with disinfectant in the streams.
* Failure to comply with erosion-control measures.

Search the archives of the Los Angeles Times for similar stories.
You will not be charged to look for stories, only to retrieve one.

Posted on Apr 22, 2000, 12:36 AM

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Jeez!! And they call this a "sanctuary"???? N/M

by G. Annwn

nm

Posted on Apr 23, 2000, 1:31 AM

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Waystation considers moving some animals out of state

by Christine

http://www.latimes.com/tcn/foothill/news/20000419/tfl0001234.html

Wednesday, April 19, 2000


Waystation considers moving some animals out of state Colette considers facility in Arizona, state officials 'monitoring the situation.'

By RYAN CARTER

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- Arizona could be the next frontier for Wildlife Waystation founder Martine Colette and the animals.

The 160-acre animal refuge in Los Angeles, established by Colette in the 1970s, was ordered on April 7 to stop receiving animals and tours.

California Department of Fish and Game inspectors say water tainted with animal excrement flowed into local streams and illegal caging conditions endangered animals at the facility in the hills above Los Angeles.

For three years, Colette has been in negotiations to build a facility in northwest Arizona where she has a residence.

Colette said she envisions a sanctuary -- more like a wild animal park -- where rescued animals can roam free on somewhere between 500 and 1,000 acres in Mohave County. Colette is exploring the possibility of a sanctuary on the Fort Mojave Tribe Indian reservation, said Bob Posey, field supervisor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. That, he said, would subject Colette only to tribal and federal law.

"Arizona has always been a state I've spent a lot of time in,"Colette said. "I wanted a bigger facility, where animals could be free, roaming in naturalistic settings.

"The (California) Department of Fish and Game doesn't really want wildlife sanctuaries here and they are making it difficult. I wanted to go to a state where the department was friendly to animal causes."

Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game, said the state has done nothing to discourage sanctuaries.

Colette stresses she's not moving the waystation and vows the Los Angeles "ranch," which she and the nonprofit organization which bears the waystation's name owns, will survive.

But the Arizona center would be bigger and more hospitable, she said.
"We have 50 African lions here," she said. "They have a good life but I would much rather see large groups of lions in loving, free-roaming environments."

As Colette's lawyers were asking California officials on Tuesday to lift the cease-and-desist order, she said, she might write letters to Arizona officials and meet with them to talk about her plans and the allegations.

"We're monitoring the situation," Posey said. "But it has no bearing on the application process.

As long as she meets our guidelines and stipulations for her zoo license, then we'll consider her application."

Posey said Colette wants a license for a small temporary facility near the Colorado River. She has six enclosures there now but they are empty because she does not have a permit and a holding license for chimpanzees has not been renewed, he said.

In March, the Arizona department cited Colette for having a rescued Bengal tiger cub named Butterfly Hunter on the property without permits. Hunter is staying at another Arizona facility. A court date is scheduled for Tuesday in Bullhead City, Ariz.
Still, Posey said, Colette's application will stand on its own merits.

"Even if she's criminally charged, unless there are stipulations that she can't conduct that business, we still have to consider her applications."

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Posted on Apr 22, 2000, 12:32 AM

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Wilflife Waystation beefs up "defenders of the Waystation" list against State allegations.

by Greg.

http://www.msnbc.com/local/KNBC/475552.asp

Wildlife Waystation to defend sanctuary

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST, April 14 – The founder of the Wildlife Waystation and various animal
and environmental experts are expected to defend the nonprofit sanctuary today against
allegations by state Fish and Game officials.

At issue is whether water used to hose out animal cages is contaminating creeks in the
area.
State Fish and Game officials ordered the animal refuge in the Little Tujunga Canyon closed
April 7 following an inspection of the property – home to some 1,200 animals, including
monkeys, lions, tigers, wolves, foxes, coyotes, reptiles and birds.
About 130 people, including founder Martine Colette, also live on the property. She bought
160 acres of Angeles National Forest property about 25 years ago to set up the refuge, which
houses more exotic animals than any other private sanctuary in the country.
Workers at the zoo-like compound, many of them volunteers, regularly muck out cages and
dispose of solid animal waste, then hose out the cages. The runoff eventually makes its way
into streams, and that could pose a threat to human, according to state investigators.
The state issued a “cease and desist order” last week, but officials have not instructed
Colette about how to dispose of the waste water, said Jerry Brown, a spokesperson of the
Wildlife Waystation.
The state order prohibited tours, from which the Waystation derives part of its revenue. It
is largely supported by donations.
Among Colette’s supporters expected at a news conference today is Manuel Molinedo, director
of the Los Angeles Zoo; Melvin Blevins, a court-appointed “special master” who oversees
water-quality issues affecting tributaries to the Los Angeles River; and actress Dyan Cannon,
the Wildlife Waystation’s spokesperson.
Colette has never had problems with the state before, Brown said, adding that she was
baffled as to why Fish and Game officials simply didn’t ask her to change practices for hosing
out cages.
Fish and Game officials met with county prosecutors last week to discuss whether any crimes
were committed, but no charges were filed.

Posted on Apr 14, 2000, 5:49 PM

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Waystation, Sunday, April 16, 2000

by

http://www.latimes.com/editions/valley/20000416/t000035909.html Sunday, April 16, 2000 | Print this story She's Fiercely Devoted to Animals Refuge: To many, the waystation's founder, Martine Colette, wrote the book on wildlife shelters.

By ZANTO PEABODY, HILARY E. MACGREGOR, Times Staff Writers ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST--Martine Colette has walked with lions in Tujunga and rounded up abused wallaroos in Malibu.

For the last two decades she has charmed Hollywood celebrities, such as Bruce Willis, Will Smith and Drew Barrymore, into opening their wallets to support the Wildlife Waystation, home to nearly 1,200 injured and outcast exotic animals.

She has inspired an army of volunteers to clean animal dung from cages and truck water to the 160-acre sanctuary above Tujunga.

And until April 7, when the state Department of Fish and Game barred the refuge from accepting new animals, she had persuaded the agency to repeatedly bend its rules. Since then, the waystation has come under scrutiny from at least four local, state and federal agencies that are inspecting or investigating the canyon refuge for alleged environmental and animal safety violations. And Fish and Game officials released a consultant's report that called it "a roadside disaster."

Last week, supporters including actress Dyan Cannon rallied behind Colette and her compound in Little Tujunga Canyon, just outside Los Angeles city limits. They said the order that also bars public access to the refuge could lead to financial ruin for the largest and longest-standing facility of its kind in the nation.

To many, Colette wrote the book on how to take in and rehabilitate abandoned animals. Carol Asvestas, a board member of the American Sanctuary Assn., called Colette's refuge "the mother of all sanctuaries." The association's 27 members agreed last week to stand behind the refuge through its crisis.

At the center stands a passionate woman who even supporters say is sometimes abrasive, with a fierce love of animals and a disdain for any rules but her own. This is not her first brush with allegations of wrongdoing. In 1995, six members of the Wildlife Waystation's board of directors resigned, contending Colette had misspent more than $500,000. An IRS audit later cleared her.

Supporters Count on Her Toughness Supporters are counting on Colette's fortitude to carry her through this latest crisis. "Of course, I am firm and direct, sometimes difficult," she said last week. "Some people don't like that. But what kind of woman do you think it takes to build a place like this?"

Opened in 1976, the Wildlife Waystation serves as a refuge for wild and exotic animals that are injured or homeless. State inspectors last week said they found a number of "serious cage violations" that threatened the welfare of animals and the public. Of more than 200 cages inspected, two-thirds were out of compliance, the state said. Some lack roofs, some are too small and some are not constructed properly to ensure that the animals can't escape.

The inspectors said they also found garbage and abandoned vehicles leaking oil near creeks and streams clogged with bottles, tires, corrugated metal pipe and other debris. They reported discovering large amounts of horse manure flowing into a stream, as well as disinfectant, urine and other animals' feces.

Colette, the French-born daughter of a Belgian diplomat, lived most of her childhood in Nairobi, Kenya. As a teenager, she worked in trapping camps, where lions and other species were taken before being shipped to zoos abroad. People in the villages near the camps, she said, began bringing injured animals to her when they realized she had a gift for nursing them to health.

Colette, 57, moved to Los Angeles about 40 years ago with her then-husband, whom she described as a "famous American writer," and plugged into the Hollywood scene.

But she did not leave Africa completely behind. She designed the animalistic, Afrocentric stage costumes for the soul-funk band Earth, Wind and Fire. She became something of a Hollywood socialite and owes some of her celebrity connections to those "glamour-puss" days. "It was a gradual transition," Colette said of her metamorphosis from sequins to khakis. "I didn't walk in one day and say, 'Hey, I'm going to live with the animals.' "

A mountain lion in a 5-by-5-foot cage at a 1965 show at the Pan-Pacific Auditorium drew her pity and became her first refugee. Within 10 years, she had a house full of beasts and a yard full of wild cats, spurring her move to Little Tujunga Canyon and the official opening of the Wildlife Waystation.

The widowed Colette has grown away from people and toward animals. Her four former husbands are a taboo topic, she said, a closed door in her life. She once said children scare her and she has none of her own. "People won't let me be anything else," she said. "If I go somewhere, somebody's going to talk to me about animals."

The emotional solitude sometimes weighs heavily on her. On solitary nights, a pair of tigresses give her "spiritual renewal." In the mornings, she breakfasts with Shauri-ya Mangu, the baby chimpanzee who shares her home.

But her singular goal--to extend the life of every animal--has drawn some criticism from peers in the animal rehabilitation community. Elaine Thrune, president of the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Assn., said if the refuge has more animals than it can handle, as the state has alleged, Colette should consider euthanizing those with the most acute injuries. "That decision is not an easy issue anywhere in the country," Thrune said.
The refuge did euthanize a tiger in 1997, after the breakout of a virus that killed 17 big cats.

However, Colette said she is "just very, very focused by nature. It is a physical and emotional impossibility for me to deny an injured animal." Several members of the refuge's board of directors have resigned in the last few years over concerns about animal health and safety.

Mayor's Daughter Resigns Over Concerns: Kathy Riordan, who has been a board member for five years, for example, said Friday she has just sent in her resignation because of concerns over animal health issues and the manner in which Colette runs the facility.

Riordan complained of what she called Colette's "founder's syndrome," an "insistence that the waystation couldn't be run without her," she said. The daughter of Mayor Richard Riordan said she canceled last October's annual fund-raiser at the mayor's mansion because of her concerns. A fund-raiser that had brought in as much as $100,000 in one day had been held there for the previous five years.

The refuge's $2.5-million annual budget comes from private donations and fund-raisers such as dinners and auctions, officials said.

From a security shack overlooking the canyon campus, the newer education pavilion and snack bar stand out against the aging buildings near Colette's wood-fenced home. More than 70 workers, paid about $500 a month, live in a trailer encampment on a ridge above.

Sanctuary cages contain grizzly bears from a closed zoo, ligers--a hybrid of lions and tigers--rescued from a ranch in Idaho, mountain lions caught in Southern California backyards. Temperamental iguanas, a massive boa constrictor and a talking cockatoo, whose owner dropped him off when he started plucking his own feathers, inhabit the infirmary. A grumpy, middle-age chimp named Moe, who bit off a woman's finger in West Covina, has become one of the residents of a temporary primate house.

Because the refuge, like others, accepts physically and mentally unhealthy animals, Asvestas of the American Sanctuary Assn. believes state standards for sanctuaries are too high. Colette served on a 1977 commission that led to relaxing the rules, but now the refuge is accused of violating those updated regulations, such as the requirement that all cages have roofs. According to state records, the facility has been in violation of that rule and others over the years.

The Department of Fish and Game had allowed the refuge's animal population to grow despite the violations, until last week when the parties reached a standoff over caging standards. A March 28 inspection revealed the refuge also apparently violated health regulations, said spokesman Steve Matarano, and the state launched its offensive.
"It's no secret they've had problems for several years," said Matarano. But when the alleged problems shifted from cage violations to health and safety issues, "it upped the ante considerably."

Years earlier, the Wildlife Waystation and Fish and Game were partners in wild animal rescue. "We had a contract with the Department of Fish and Game in the early days," said Judi Williams, a volunteer from 1978 to 1995 and one of the board members who resigned five years ago. "We totally focused on animal care. They would give us $10,000 a year to help them out. They would bring us wild animals in need of a place to go. They were not equipped to take care of them. Nor did they know how."

At one time, Williams said, the state agency gave the waystation thousands of dollars to help pave a road.

Current board member Ollie Blanning, a senior deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, said she was surprised by Fish and Game's allegations because the refuge is cooperating with the agency. "They would tell us we needed to fix something and tell us how to do it," she said, "and then we would."

But some former board members said state action was long overdue. "She has bucked Fish and Game for so many years, and now it's like enough is enough," said Diana Higashi, who worked as a volunteer at the refuge for eight years and served on its board of directors for four. "To put it simply, the rules don't apply for her." Higashi said the agency tried to work with Colette and had given her additional time to clean up her act.

"I thought something was going to happen long before now," said Gail Lippman, a volunteer landscaper at the refuge for nine years who left several years ago on bad terms. "Martine is a very difficult person to deal with. She is like a dictator up there. She always felt the rules didn't apply to her." Lippman said she is not surprised by concern over the cages.

"She has been told for years that her cages need improving," Lippman said. "I think everyone has a legitimate concern that these animals can escape, because they have."

Relations between the refuge and the state soured in the mid-1980s as regulators grew weary of Colette ignoring their warnings, Williams said. Still, Fish and Game continued to work with the waystation, dropping off animals and granting leniency on cages even as it tightened regulations. The refuge, for example, has been operating without a permit since 1997 as Fish and Game tried to bring it into compliance. "There was this great relationship. The department leaned heavily on Martine and her expertise," Williams said. "And now it has come to this."

Fish and Game officials, who have documented 26 births at the complex from 1994 to 1997, also have accused Colette of illegally breeding animals. But Colette said all animals are spayed, neutered or isolated from the opposite sex.

"Sometimes you get an oops," said Colette, who contends the state's numbers are exaggerated. "Out of 75,000 animals that have come through here over the years, we've had 22 oopses."



Posted on Apr 17, 2000, 9:03 AM

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Shelter Receives Donations

by Christine

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20000417/t000036249.html

Shelter Receives Donations
By ZANTO PEABODY, Times Staff Writer

A charitable foundation established by Walt Disney's late daughter has donated $100,000 to help the embattled Wildlife Waystation, the animal sanctuary's director said Sunday.

Waystation Director Martine Colette said last week's gift from the Lund Foundation will pay for completion of a larger primate house. The new home for chimps has been in the works since 1996, and one of the concerns behind recent state allegations about conditions at the shelter was a hay barn that had been converted into a crowded temporary home for them.

Established by Sharon Disney Lund, who died in
1993, the Lund Foundation has supported medical, children's and animal-rescue charities. Calls to the home of her son, Bradford Lund, were not returned Sunday.

A separate gift bestowed last week will help the sanctuary pay for public relations help as it faces accusations that it violated health codes and animal-safety regulations, Colette said. She declined to disclose the donor's name or the amount given, but a source with knowledge of the facility's operations said it was between $25,000 and $50,000.

"It will go to funding a crisis management team,"
Colette said. "I don't know who [will be hired] or some of the particulars right now."

She also said a donor told her last week that an annual $25,000 gift would be discontinued.
Colette said only that the contributor is a local company, and that she would make personal appeals to get the donation reinstated.

Colette said she will meet today with a team of attorneys to prepare an appeal of allegations from the state Department of Fish and Game that the facility violated health codes and animal-safety regulations.

She said the ban by the state on new animals at the facility has already forced her to turn away injured wildlife.

Search the archives of the Los Angeles Times for similar stories about: Lund Foundation, Contributions, Wildlife Waystation, Wildlife Refuges, Animal Shelters - Finances, Health And Safety Violations, Martine Colette.

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Posted on Apr 18, 2000, 9:54 PM

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National Group Backs Wildlife Refuge Against Claims by State

by Christine

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20000413/t000034911.html

National Group Backs Wildlife Refuge Against Claims by State
By ZANTO PEABODY, Times Staff Writer

The embattled Wildlife Waystation animal refuge, accused in a state report of violating environmental and animal protection laws, got the backing of one of the nation's largest wildlife sanctuary associations Wednesday.

The American Sanctuary Assn., of which the Waystation near Tujunga is the largest member, announced its support after a conference call among board members. Waystation founder Martine Colette is vice president of the board and participated in the call.

"The American Sanctuary Assn., as I suspected they would, has decided to get behind me,"
Colette said, "because I have done nothing wrong.

I am very grateful my peers are willing to show this kind of support."

A report by the California Department of Fish and Game released Tuesday accused the Waystation--founded in 1976 to provide care for injured and abandoned animals--of violating environmental laws and possibly endangering the health of its animals and nearby residents.

"We have seen nothing on paper to prove Martine is as bad as they say she is," said Carol Asvestas, a member of the association board.

"I have a problem personally with Fish and Game because they have taken animals to Martine when they needed her. Now they should be trying to help her, not trying to hurt her and telling her she's a bad girl, "Asvestas said.

Fish and Game spokesman Steve Martarano said the agency does "realize the importance of the Wildlife Waystation. They do take in injured animals."

"What to do with the animals should they shut down is a concern," Martarano said.

Last Friday, Fish and Game closed the
160-acre Waystation to the public and barred the facility from accepting new animals. Agency officials said Wednesday they expect to issue a complete report on the situation soon, including requirements for improvement.

"Once the American Sanctuary Assn. gets the final paperwork from Fish and Game," said Asvestas, "we will appeal to make sure all the requests are fair and within reason and that the Waystation is given enough time to comply."

Asvestas said the state has unrealistic standards for a sanctuary that cares for injured wild animals.

Search the archives of the Los Angeles Times for similar stories about: Wildlife Waystation, Wildlife Refuges, Martine Colette, Health And Safety Violations, American Sanctuary Association, California Department Of Fish And.

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Posted on Apr 18, 2000, 10:06 PM

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State Details Allegations Against Wildlife Waystation Refuge:

by Christine

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20000415/t000035546.html

Saturday, April 15, 2000
State Details Allegations Against Wildlife Waystation Refuge: Supporters counter claims of pollution, disease and improper cages.

By ZANTO PEABODY, Times Staff Writer

The state Department of Fish and Game provided its first detailed account Friday of alleged health and safety violations by the Wildlife Waystation animal sanctuary near Tujunga.

The list was released on the same day that a team of environmental, medical and animal experts and other supporters, including actress Dyan Cannon rallied to defend the refuge and its director, Martine Colette.

Dr. David Levine, an orthopedic surgeon, said in a news conference that the nonprofit organization has been blocked from raising money because the state recently ordered the Waystation closed to the public.

"Perhaps the most damaging thing Fish and Game has done is tainted our reputation and provided an air of fear within the public," Levine said.
Fish and Game officials said some of the chimpanzees at the center may carry HIV and strains of hepatitis.

But Waystation veterinarian Jennifer Conrad said all the chimps have been tested, and none carry HIV. Only one tested positive for hepatitis C, which can be transmitted only by the exchange of body fluids, Conrad said.

Jim Mahoney, the New York University professor who sent the chimpanzees to the Waystation, confirmed that none of the animals carry the virus that causes AIDS. He said he sent 16 chimpanzees once used for biomedical research to the refuge in 1996 because it was the only facility that would take and care for them for the rest of their lives.

"This was a tremendous service to the animals and to the country, because she [Colette] was the only one in the U.S. who would do it," he said.
Inspectors for the state Department of Fish and Game said they found a number of "serious cage violations" at the refuge that threatened the welfare of animals and the public. Of the more than 200 cages inspected, two-thirds were out of compliance, the state said.

They said they also found garbage and abandoned vehicles leaking oil near creeks, and streams clogged with bottles, tires, corrugated metal pipe and other debris. They also found large amounts of horse manure washing into a stream, as well as disinfectant, urine and other animal feces.

"As a result of their inspection, the team determined that immediate action was necessary to protect the public's health and safety and to help assure the well-being of the animals," wrote Michael R. Valentine, a lawyer for the state agency, in a letter to the Waystation's board of directors.

But court-appointed Watermaster Melvin Blevins denied the allegations that streams and creeks were polluted.

"The water is clean with no problems,"
said Blevins, who inspects waterways in the San Fernando Valley and reports his findings to Los Angeles Superior Court.

Colette broke down in tears Friday, saying she was betrayed by the Department of Fish and Game.
The department's action reverses a mutually beneficial relationship that started when the facility opened in 1976, she said. The Waystation, which houses orphaned and abandoned wild and exotic animals, had accepted some rescued animals from the state.

"The nature of this facility is the phone rings and you respond," Colette said. "You house an animal the best way you can. Then you build a permanent cage. Then you start over again."
Cannon, who appears in television's "Ally McBeal,"
said she chose to work with the Waystation six years ago after seeing Colette's dedication to rehabilitating injured animals. "I would lay down my life for this woman and what she stands for," Cannon said.

Search the archives of the Los Angeles Times for similar stories about: Wildlife Waystation, California Department Of Fish And Game, Health And Safety Violations, Wildlife Refuges, Environment, Water Pollution.

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Posted on Apr 18, 2000, 10:13 PM

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Forwarded: National Group Backs Wildlife Refuge Against Claims by State

by Christine

Date: Thu Apr 13, 2000 5:38pm Subject: ASA backs Colette Hmmm, so I guess $shambala bill standards are realistic???? ONLY little people need to comply with BS and a lot of RED tape ???? So CA state standards are too high for animal welfare ??? $hambala bill standards appear HIGHER than CA state standards, so folks, there you have it.
================

snippet:
<< Asvestas said the state has unrealistic standards for a sanctuary that cares for injured wild animals.

http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20000413/t000034911.html
Thursday, April 13, 2000 | Print this story

National Group Backs Wildlife Refuge Against Claims by State By ZANTO PEABODY, Times Staff Writer The embattled Wildlife Waystation animal refuge, accused in a state report of violating environmental and animal protection laws, got the backing of one of the nation's largest wildlife sanctuary associations Wednesday.

The American Sanctuary Assn., of which the Waystation near Tujunga is the largest member, announced its support after a conference call among board members. Waystation founder Martine Colette is vice president of the board and participated in the call.

"The American Sanctuary Assn., as I suspected they would, has decided to get behind me," Colette said, "because I have done nothing wrong. I am very grateful my peers are willing to show this kind of support."

A report by the California Department of Fish and Game released Tuesday accused the Waystation--founded in 1976 to provide care for injured and abandoned animals--of violating environmental laws and possibly endangering the health of its animals and nearby residents.

"We have seen nothing on paper to prove Martine is as bad as they say she is," said Carol Asvestas, a member of the association board.

"I have a problem personally with Fish and Game because they have taken animals to Martine when they needed her. Now they should be trying to help her, not trying to hurt her and telling her she's a bad girl," Asvestas said.

Fish and Game spokesman Steve Martarano said the agency does "realize the importance of the Wildlife Waystation. They do take in injured animals."

"What to do with the animals should they shut down is a concern," Martarano said.
Last Friday, Fish and Game closed the 160-acre Waystation to the public and barred the facility from accepting new animals. Agency officials said Wednesday they expect to issue a complete report on the situation soon, including requirements for improvement.

"Once the American Sanctuary Assn. gets the final paperwork from Fish and Game," said Asvestas, "we will appeal to make sure all the requests are fair and within reason and that the Waystation is given enough time to comply."

Asvestas said the state has unrealistic standards for a sanctuary that cares for injured wild animals.

===

***********************************


Posted on Apr 13, 2000, 1:50 PM

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American Sanctuary Assn. Board of Directors........

by

Here are the five BOD members of ASA, founded in 1997. As of 12-15-99, they list five members that are accrediated under their "umbrella". Please note the *** denotes 2 of these board members that either have had or currently have BIG problems with the federal and or the state authorities. Two of these Board members have co-authored the Shambala Bill (Ms. Asvestas brags about being a co-author on this BB) and the bill states that wildlife sanctuaries are to be exempt from this bill and therefore do not have to be permitted or inspected-----WHAT is wrong with this picture????

Tippi Hedren, President
Shambala CA

Martine Colette, Vice President***
Wildlife Waystation, CA

Carol Asvestas, Treasurer***
Wild Animal Orphanage, TX

Stephen Tello, Secretary
Primarily Primates, TX

Sumner Matthes, Director
Sarasota In Defense of Animals, FL

Posted on Apr 13, 2000, 6:34 PM

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Exemptions to Shambala bill

by Christine

I know this may go against the grain of some but, as was pointed out to me recently, 501's are some that truly shouldn't be exempted as, often, these are the folks who really don't have enough money to make ends meet. They must depend on donations to buy food, vet. care, etc.

Because of this, there is very often a lack of quality care for the animals in their charge when the donations don't come in as hoped.

Posted on Apr 13, 2000, 11:10 PM

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More on Martine Colette's Wildlife Waystation

by Christine

<<,Fish and Game released a scathing report Tuesday calling the Wildlife Waystation "a roadside disaster,">><snip> <<Meanwhile, leaders of the San Antonio-based American Sanctuary Assn. planned a conference call today to determine how to help Colette and what to do if the refuge ultimately is forced to get rid of its nearly
1,200 tigers, chimps, alligators, bears and wild cats.>>

http://www.latimes.com/editions/valley/20000412/t000034231.html Wednesday, April 12, 2000 | Print this story

Report Calls Wildlife Refuge a 'Disaster' By ZANTO PEABODY, HILARY E. MACGREGOR, Times Staff Writers ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST--The state Department of Fish and Game released a scathing report Tuesday calling the Wildlife Waystation "a roadside disaster,"
while leaders of other sanctuaries began making plans to care for the canyon refuge's nearly 1,200 animals should it be forced to close permanently.

The 12-page report depicted an unclean environment where HIV-positive primates are not safely quarantined, feed bowls are often filled with animal waste, rats skitter through cages and exotic and native birds are kept together in cages far too small.

The report suggested revoking the refuge's federal permit and called for a meeting of agencies to "bring pressure on this facility."
The report even criticized the mission statement of the way station--that "no animal will be refused sanctuary, medical help or whatever else is necessary for the physical, mental or psychological welfare"--as "too broad and unrealistic."

Martine Colette, who founded the refuge almost 25 years ago and is now its executive director, denied all but one of the report's allegations--that some cages lack required roofs. She also attacked the qualifications and methodology of the report's author, Diana Granados, executive director of the nonprofit Native Bird Connections in Northern California.

"I don't know if they are trying to shut me down, or what. I will give no credence to this report from someone who I do not know," Colette said. "To call this facility a roadside disaster--how dare she? That is libel. This lady has not seen the last of us."

Granados, hired as a state consultant, compiled her findings after a March 28 visit to the compound with Fish and Game officials.
She said Colette should curtail efforts to rehabilitate injured animals, and put to death those that are "bored" or have low-quality lives.

She did not specify how many fit this description. "Somewhere along the line someone has to be strong enough to say these animals need to be euthanized," she said.

Colette cringed at the idea of killing an animal to make room for another. "If they euthanized the animals," Colette said, "they'd have to euthanize me right along with them."

The refuge has been closed to the public since Friday, when Fish and Game issued a cease-and-desist order. Since then, four other local, state and federal agencies have confirmed they are inspecting or investigating the compound in Little Tujunga Canyon, just outside Los Angeles city limits.

Colette said the partial closure has curtailed her fund-raising efforts for the nonprofit refuge.
Despite the tone of the report his agency commissioned, Mervin Hee, a Department of Fish and Game regional patrol chief, said his intention is not to close the refuge.

"We need to have the way station," Hee said.
"There is no way that we are attempting to shut the way station down. We are trying to get them in compliance."

Hee said the agency planned to deliver to Colette today a detailed list of actions she must take to conform with state regulations.

Meanwhile, leaders of the San Antonio-based American Sanctuary Assn. planned a conference call today to determine how to help Colette and what to do if the refuge ultimately is forced to get rid of its nearly 1,200 tigers, chimps, alligators, bears and wild cats.

The 160-acre refuge is the largest of the association's 27 members, all of which harbor orphaned or injured wild animals.

"We're already having difficulty placing six to 10 animals a day that can't stay where they are," said Sumner Matthes, head of an animal refuge in Sarasota, Fla.

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Posted on Apr 13, 2000, 9:55 AM

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Unfortunately, most of us here on this board understand

by Christine

and can empathize with the position Ms. Colette has found herself in.


Most of us have done rescue and know all too well how easy it is to get overloaded but the call comes and we say, "What the hell? Send it on."

It is so hard to say, "No." Especially when we know the animal will probably be put down if we don't take it.

Most of us, though, have discovered we can't save the whole world.

We have also learned not all animals should be saved. There are things worse than death and our resources are better spent providing quality life for those who should and can be saved.


Posted on Apr 13, 2000, 10:08 AM

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Article on Wildlife Waystation

by

Calif. Sanctuary Threatens Animals

.c The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - California officials have imposed restrictions on a wildlife sanctuary that houses abandoned and mistreated animals because they say conditions there threaten the welfare of the animals and humans.

The Wildlife Waystation houses 1,200 horses, chimpanzees, lions, wolves and other exotic animals and is the largest such sanctuary in California.

The Department of Fish and Game issued a cease-and-desist order Friday, saying the conditions ``pose serious public health and safety and animal welfare concerns.''

The facility cannot give tours, accept new animals or exhibit its current residents until it permanently reduces its population and makes other changes, the state said. The 160-acre Waystation borders the Angeles National Forest about 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

An inspection March 28 found that many cages were cramped or otherwise failed to meet state standards, and animal excrement flowed into creeks, posing health and environmental concerns.

``There's such a demand and need for this facility that the numer of animals coming in exceeded their ability to cage them,'' Mervin Hee, regional patrol chief for Fish and Game, said Sunday.

The action couldn't come at a worse time - the spring nesting season when people bring in hundreds of rescued baby squirrels, possums and birds, said Martine Colette, the founder and director of the facility.

``It'll be a hardship on people; it'll be a hardship on animals,'' she said.

Colette denied the facility poses a health risk and said the cages are ``safe and comfortable.''

As for reducing the facility's population, ``there is nowhere to put them. That's why the animals come to us,'' she said.

AP-NY-04-09-00 1942EDT

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without prior written authority of The Associated Press.




Posted on Apr 10, 2000, 4:55 PM

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NAIA

by Christine

From NAIA list, posted by Patti Strand.
=======

DATE: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 19:11:48
From: Patti Strand <NAIA@involved.com>
To: naia-animaltalk@egroups.com

The Survivor of "The Birds", Tarzan's Jane and Kermit The Frog Lobby DC Against Local Control Over Animals Giving new meaning to the term "dog and pony show", actress Tippi Hedren of "The Birds" fame, Bo Derek, AKA Jane of "Tarzan", and Kermit The Frog, wowed the DC press while testifying during March for the proposed "Shambala Wild Animal Protection Act of 2000". Supported by Representative Tom Lantos of Southern San Francisco (D-CA), the draft bill was originally reported as dealing with ownership of large "exotics" such as lions and tigers and bears.
After a dutiful reading, however, it is obvious the Shambala bill is a sham, pushing permitting by the federal government for a Noah's Ark-full of creatures, both large and small.

Ironically, Tippi Hedren runs Shambala, an animal "sanctuary" in the arid lands 40 miles Northeast of Los Angeles, California, where she keeps over 70 animals: "African lions, Siberian and Bengal tigers, leopards, snow leopards, servals, mountain lions, a Florida panther, a cheetah, and two African Elephants" and more. Written into the bill, however, is a glaring exemption for businesses such as Tippi's Shambala Preserve.

In brief, the bill states, "A person may not personally possess a protected wild animal in any State without a permit issued by the Secretary" [of the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA], under the USDA's Animal Welfare Act, adding a layer of federal control over a process already regulated at state and local levels. No transfers of ownership or transport of "wild" domesticated animals without a federal permit, no breeding without a federal permit. And even with a permitted allowance for breeding, if there are any offspring -- you guessed it -- the owner must apply for a permit from the feds in order to keep the progeny.

What is a "protected wild animal"? Good question.

Covered in the bill are segments of the Animal Kingdom:
From the Order of Carnivora (231 species, in 93 genera and 7 families) the bill focuses on
3 families:
Felidae (cats, 17 genera and 36 species), Ursidae (bears, with 6 genera and 9 species), and Canidae (dogs, 14 genera and 34 species).
Under the Order of Primate, the bill focuses on the families of Lemuridae, Indridae, Daubentoniidae, Lorisidae Cebidae, Callithrichidae, Cercopithecidae, Pongidae. The bill covers all subspecies plus hybrids, crosses of such species or subspecies.

The Secretary of Agriculture will make up a list of animals to be identified as a "protected wild animal" as detailed above. The animals must "not normally [be] kept in the personal possession of any person" and "primarily exist without confinement or restraint in a wild and free environment".
Looks like all canines and felines including wolf-dogs, except domesticated dogs and cats, plus all bears and a barrel full of monkeys.
If a species meets these criteria, the Secretary may never remove the species. However, the Secretary can add species at will, he "may modify the list ... at any time without further congressional action". There does not appear to be any limitation to the additions. The Noah's Ark list is a blank check for the regulators at the DC-based U.S. Department of Agriculture.

So if the Secretary can modify the list at will, which human-owned animals will come under federal control? Animals that are "not normally kept in the personal possession of any person" and "primarily exist without confinement or restraint in a wild and free environment"? Do the wild cousins outnumber their domesticated relatives? Snakes, turtles, lizards and rodents come to mind here right away. And ferrets, mink, chinchilla and rabbit. And potbellied pigs, llamas, hawks and falcons, ducks, geese, swans, finches, ostriches and parrots. At first it appeared we were just talking about lions and tigers and bears. Oh, my!

The proposed bill allows exemptions for the federal government, research facilities, zoos, animal parks and "sanctuaries". Yes, Tippi has an exemption. The other "exemptions" are a bit misleading since animals used in research and exhibition and the wholesale pet trade are already covered by the USDA under the Animal Welfare Act.

But wait, there's more!

The proposed bill requires the owner of the animal to "comply with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws, including regulations prescribed by the Secretary to protect the animals' physical and psychological health and well being." So we can expect more regulations to be written by the USDA?

When the animal dies, a death certificate must be provided by a veterinarian at the owner's expense, and provided to the Secretary of Ag within ten days.

Onto Sec. 208 (a) Use of Euthanasia. Only under certain circumstances, such as when the animal is a safety or health risk to the public or "so debilitated as to have negligible prospects for a quality existence" will euthanasia be allowed. Hunting the animal is forbidden unless the animal lives in "an open area of at least 1,000 acres" and can elude hunters.

If the animal is released or escapes, the owner needs to notify the Secretary of Ag and local law enforcement. The owner will be liable for all costs associated with recapture. Animal liberation groups such as the Animal Liberation Front will love this section.

The proposed bill goes on to Import and Export requirements, adding another layer to what are already multiple layers of regulations, treaties and aircraft transport requirements.

Anyone who attempts to comply and asks for a permit must satisfy the feds' requirement that the animal will be "under competent adult supervision and control so as to prevent injury or death to any animal.." Since so many of the animals that this bill attempts to cover EAT other animals as a matter of course, does this mean the government wants carnivores changed to grazers?

Oh, and if you don't comply, the Secretary of Ag or law enforcement will take your animal and give it to people like Tippi, placing the animal "in the protective care of a wildlife sanctuary."

No wonder they chose Tippi, Bo and Kermit The Frog to promote the Shambala bill. Without major rewriting, this bill's for the birds.


NOTES:
The text of the proposed "Shambala Wild Animal Protection Act" can be found on the Shambala Preserve website at www.shambala.org, under the Issues section. Shambala Reserve in Acton, California is owned by Roar Foundation, a tax-exempt corporation since 1997 [EIN 953868718], with assets of $144,388 and income of $568,760 (see www.sovereignty.freedom.org/p/ngo/search-eo.cgi to search on non-profits).

Representative Tom Lantos can be reached via www.house.gov/lantos See "Celebrities want exotic pet owners licensed" by G.
Stephen Bierman, The Associated Press at http://flash.al.com/cgi-bin/al_nview.pl?/home1/wire/AP/Stream-Parsed/ WASHINGTO N/a0750_AM_LicensingTigers For information on the Animal Welfare Act, see www.aphis.usda.gov.
Additionally, the USDA publication "United States Department of Agriculture's Position Statement: Large Wild and Exotic Cats Make Dangerous Pets" is at www.aphis.usda.gov:80/ac/position.html For simple taxonomy, see the Cyber Zoomobile at www.primenet.com/~brendel/index.html and Introduction to Primates at www.mc.maricopa.edu/anthro/exploratorium/primates/ and Primate Taxonomy at http://piopio.school.nz/primates.htm.



--
---------------------------------------- Patti Strand, President National Animal Interest Alliance PO Box 66579 Portland, Oregon 97290-6579 website address: www.naiaonline.org email address: naia@involved.com
503-761-1139 Our members feed, clothe, heal, comfort, entertain, inform and protect the world!


Posted on Apr 10, 2000, 11:31 AM

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Safety in numbers

by

As has been stated so many time, there may be safety in numbers. To this end, I'm asking each of you to forward this to any bulletin board or list for any species of exotic you may know of..

What I'd like to do is to have each organization, no matter how large or small, that concerns any exotic animal, email me with the name & Address of the Organization, and how many members it has - this includes wolfdog & bengals or any hybrid.

Showing that there ARE organizations out there that are available to support exotic owners with educational material on the care of their animals - may make a difference against Shambala I can't help but believe there are THOUSANDS of folks who have exotics and take excellent care of them.

email to : ocelots@compuserve.com
Thanks Shirl

Posted on Apr 7, 2000, 4:29 PM

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I posted this for Shirley so when you click on the address, it will give her addy but my info is at

by Christine

NM

Posted on Apr 7, 2000, 4:31 PM

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LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation's position on the Shambala Bill

by Christine

Shambala Bill Would Hurt Wildlife Conservation

In recent months, Tippi Hedren and her supporters have been promoting a proposed amendment to the Animal Welfare Act they call the Shambala Bill.

They claim this amendment is needed to protect the welfare of captive wildlife and eliminate a significant threat to public health and safety.
In reality if this bill is enacted it would provide little or no increase in public safety and have a major negative impact on the future of wildlife conservation efforts in the U.S.

The true goal of the Shambala Bill is best expressed by Tippi Hedren's daughter, Melanie Griffith who stated, "I will accompany my mother on a trip to Washington D.C. on the 29th of March in an effort to promote legislation that will ban private ownership of wild animals."

The Shambala Bill is not a about helping animals but rather about furthering an extreme animal rights agenda that embraces a philosophy that animals are better off dead than in captivity. If you truly care about the welfare of wild animals you must oppose the Shambala Bill.

By far and away the single largest threat to the future of wild feline populations is habitat fragmentation and destruction caused by the conversion of natural habitat to meet the ever expanding needs of a rapidly growing human population. Over 6 billion at last count.
Currently over 2/3 of the 37 generally recognized species of wild feline are classified as threatened or endangered or have one or more subspecies that are so classified. Within the lifetime of many individuals alive today the Caspian Cheetah, the Barbary Lion and Serval, the Caspian, Bali, and Javan Tiger, the Eastern Cougar, and several other subspecies of wild feline have been driven to extinction. Several other species teeter on the brink.

Given the existing situation, responsible captive husbandry is a necessary precaution for ensuring the long term survival of the remaining species. The world's zoos are doing all that they can but they simple do not have the funding nor the space to help all the species in need. In addition, the need to satisfy the demands of the paying public upon which they are dependent for funding imposes significant restrains on collection management that are not always consistent with the needs of individual animals and the species they represent.

Currently there are a total of about 1600 wild felines in zoos accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). The membership of the LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation, a non-profit organization for private owners of wild felines, holds about 1500 wild felines and it is estimated that there may be as many as 15,000 wild felines in private hands in the U.S.

There are also thousands of wild canides, and simians in private hands. Clearly the private sector has much to offer main stream captive conservation efforts, and private owners have made significant contributions. The American Bison exist today largely as a result of the efforts of private individuals. The first consistently successful captive breeding programs for cheetah, clouded leopards, and several species of small wild felines from South America were accomplished in the private sector, as was the first successful propagation of the highly endangered snow leopard in the US. That the huge conservation potential of the private sector has not yet been fully realized has been recognized by both the AZA and the private sector and efforts are being made by both parties to improve sharing of information, cooperation, and coordination.

There is no doubt that in the hands of inexperienced, careless, or irresponsible individuals the six largest species of wild feline; tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard, and cougar, have the potential to pose a significant threat to individuals who come in contact with them. However, the remaining 32 species of wild feline have average weights under 35 pounds and simply do not posses the strength to pose a significant hazard. In fact, many of other species of animal mentioned in the Shambala Bill are no larger than medium size domestic dogs or cats. In 1998 the LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation conducted a nation wide survey of injuries resulting from private captive husbandry of wild felines. The results of this survey indicate that the actual level of risk associated with private captive husbandry of wild felines, on a per animal bases, is comparable to the risks associated with other more common activities such as ownership of domestic dogs and operation of motor vehicles.

Let there be no doubt, there are inexperienced, careless, and irresponsible individuals who own or provide care for wild or exotic animals. But such individuals are the exception not the rule, and their presence is not confined to the private sector.

As with drunk drivers, and abusive parents, the actions of a few irresponsible animal owners that result in severe injury or death are real tragedies and make spectacular news stories. But the actions of such individuals are not representative of the vast majority of individuals who are not drunk drivers, who do a good job raising their children, or are responsible caregivers committed to sound husbandry practices for the animals in their care.

There are already numerous local, state, and federal laws on the books that apply to animal cruelty or neglect, reckless endangerment, attractive nuisances, child endangerment, and personal liability. In addition, all but 14 states already regulate private ownership of exotic wild felines, and all states regulate the possession of native species of wild felines such as bobcats, lynx, and cougars where such populations exist. The LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation has nearly completed drafting model regulations that will be offered to states that currently do not fully regulate ownership of wild felines or who wish to revise their existing statutes.

Individuals engaged in commercial activities that involve wildlife are regulated under the Animal Welfare Act, and the import and export of threatened or endangered species is regulated under the Endangered Species Act. Additional Federal laws and specifically the Shambala Bill are simply not needed.

In a world where a rapidly growing human population is placing ever increasing demands on steadily diminishing natural resources some hard decisions need to be made about what to hold on to and what to let go.

A captive wild feline, no matter how well cared for is not the same as one in the wild, but is a vast improvement over no wild felines of that specie at all. Captive husbandry practiced by responsible private owners has made significant contributions to overall captive conservation efforts and can do even more in the future. Remember, Extinction Is Forever.

In closing I urge you once more. If you care about the future of wild animals, speak out in opposition to the Shambala Bill.

The LIOC-Endangered Species Conservation Federation is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization for private owners of wild felines. The goal of the organization is to promote responsibility in private captive husbandry of wild felines and to educate the public in the need for sound conservation management of these species.

For more information email:
Lynn Culver culvers@voltage.net <culvers@voltage.net>;,
or George Stowers gstowers@twcny.rr.com <gstowers@twcny.rr.com>;

or write:
LIOC-ESCF, P.O. Box 22085, Phoenix, AZ 85028

Posted on Apr 7, 2000, 10:31 AM

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Tippi to be on Bob Vella (or is it Villa) talk show

by Christine

Forwarded with permission.

From: INTERNET:Phoenix_Exotics@egroups.com, INTERNET:Phoenix_Exotics@egroups.com To: [unknown], INTERNET:phoenix_exotics@onelist.com Date: 04/06/2000 5:34 PM
RE: [Phoenix_Exotics] Tippi on pet B. Vella
radio show

OK unruly group,
let's get back to work.
Tippi Hedren will be on Bob Vellas radio show next month. Mr. Vella is a nice person, so we do NOT want to ruin his show.

We want to make ourselves, the exotic owners look good, be polite, and make Tippi look like airhead and make the public realize WE are the good intelligent guys and she is nuts to even propose $hambilla billa.
(How do we stop crazy AR callers pretending to be an exotic owner and say stupid things???).

So, let's all get organized, we have 1 month, and let's think about the intelligent questions, facts, happy big cat stories, ask her to name these exotic cat game ranches...if they are so many as she claims, it should be easy...right ?<g> IDEAS????

They had Mr. Green on few days ago,April 1st, but I missed that show.
ZB
========

From Bob Vella:
<snip> You can hear the show on the Internet ( www.pettalk.com and we also archive the past weeks show). On May 6th at 11:30 am PST we will have Tippi Hedren on to talk about the bill that she has proposed. You can tune in via the web and also chat in our chat room while the show is going on. Go to page two and click on the CompuServe icon. you do not have to be a member to chat...... I invite everyone to call with their opinions......

Bob Vella Host of Pet Talk America The nationally syndicated radio show devoted to pets.
www.pettalk.com
1 661 324 PETS (7387)

==============================


Posted on Apr 6, 2000, 8:09 PM

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Be careful folks

by

I would caution this group of what is said and can be read publicly. Quite frankly I enjoy these comments. Everytime you post these messages, we send copies to the congress, the shows and companies that you are targeting. It shows these professionals just how irresponsible you are.

I truly cannot believe that the responsible exotic pet owners, of which there is claim to many, would even contemplate the argument that strict regulations do need to be in place.
Do you realize this opposition only serves to make you look even more irresponsible than you are!

I will sign my name to this.

If you e-mail me back with trashy or uneducated comments, you will get a response.


Carol Asvestas
Co-author Shambala Bill




Posted on Apr 8, 2000, 3:01 PM

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the only person one should have to answer to

by

is their maker, Lady.

This bill you are trying to enact reminds me of another self-rightous group cause of people with "TOO" much time on their hands and too much money. Perhaps in need of publicity?

Why not fight for children's education, or stopping crime in this country?

Oops, forgot, Oj won didn't he?

But then again, he had bucks, so did Clinton, and the Ramseys.

And then turn around to congress and "tattle."

Tsk, tsk.



Stormy



Posted on Apr 9, 2000, 12:24 AM

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Nice try at strong arming BUT it won't work here. :)

by

It is good that the co-author of this "bill" is present and can report what is said here to Tippi or whomever.

Let me clue you in here. Most that are on this BB are Officers or Board Members of various organizations that are dedicated to the wolf and wolfdog. Those organizations have already gone on the record for YEARS that the responsible owner is one that keeps his/her animals in a secure, safe setting and that those that own wolves or wiolfdogs be educated in the ways of those animals OR they should not own them. Education of those owners is uppermost in what we say and do. You know nothing of those organizatuions and seemingly know nothing of the work that has already been done to keep these animal responsibly.

I invite you to read the Coalition document within this BB that was written by a group of wolf and wolfdog owners. I also invite you to explain, in detail, what the rational for the Shambala Bill is about.

None here has stated that they are not for responsible ownership. How does or would the Shambala Bill keep animals in the hands of responsible owners?? As written, only Tippi would be able to keep them. Have you or any involved in the Shambala Bill ever READ the USDA regulations on the keeping of exotics? I venture a guess here and say NO.

Awaiting your educated response.

Greg Largent

Posted on Apr 10, 2000, 9:29 AM

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Response from Carol Asvestas, sent to my e-mail address.

by Greg.

Below is the e-mail that I sent to Carol and her response at the bottom of that e-mail. My e-mail to Carol is written EXACTLY as the message I sent to this BB, with the exception of the last sentence, where I invite Carol to send her response to this BB, rather than to my e-mail. Carol choose my e-mail for a reply....I choose to post her response here as was intended and requested.

Subject:
Re: Pic of the Week BB response
Date:
10 Apr 100 10:06:58 -0500
From:
WAO@STIC.NET
To:
Stargazer




Greg Largent wrote:
>
> It is good that the co-author of this "bill" is > present and can report what is said here to > Tippi or whomever.
>
> Let me clue you in here. Most that are on this > BB are Officers or Board Members of various > organizations that are dedicated to the wolf and
> wolfdog. Those organizations have already gone > on the record for YEARS that the responsible > owner is one that keeps his/her animals in a
> secure, safe setting and that those that own > wolves or wolfdog be educated in the ways of > those animals OR they should not own them.
> Education of those owners is uppermost in what > we say and do. You know nothing of those > organizations and seemingly know nothing of the > work that has already been done to keep these > animal responsibly.
>
> I invite you to read the Coalition document > within this BB that was written by a group of > wolf and wolfdog owners. I also invite you to
> explain, in detail, what the rational for the > Shambala Bill is about.
>
> None here has stated that they are not for > responsible ownership. How does or would the > Shambala Bill keep animals in the hands of > responsible owners?? As written, only Tippi > would be able to keep them. Have you
> or any involved in the Shambala Bill ever READ > the USDA regulations on the keeping of exotics? > I venture a guess here and say NO.
>
> Awaiting your educated response. Please > respond to the BB so all can see your comments. > I send this to your e-mail addy in case you do
> not visit the BB often. Thank you.
>
> Greg Largent
> --
> "Learning from ones mistakes is the real definition of Experience"
>
> Stargazer@Rockford.com
> ICQ# 19866917


Dear Greg,

If you read the bill in its entity, you will see that responsible pet owners will get one year to comply with the simple request layed out in
the bill. This is a regulating bill not one banning ownership. Please know that ALL sanctuaries and Zoo's that are NOT governed by the USDA will also have to comply with these regulations. Therefore those pet owners that are responsible enough to have already obtained the
appropriate permits etc, will not have to do much more to keep within the boundaries of this bill.
There are many sanctuaries that are going to have to comply with the same regulations that pet owners will be faced with.
Please read the bill properly before making judgement. It does stipulate that sanctuaries zoos etc that are governed by federal agencies are
exempt but have to request exemption. Not that sanctuaries and zoos are exempt. Those that are already holding permits should not have a problem
with this.
I do not understand why an organization would oppose regulations, it will protect the animals, the public and ensure that those that acquire
these animals will act responsibly.

Both Shambala and WAO are USDA licensed and fully aware of standards that are on record to date. However a seperate set of standards will be
set for pet owners, believe me they will not be any stricter than those imposed on sanctuaries.

I would like to know what regulations/standards you think should have been set forth in this bill.

Please know the bill was not written to punish exotic pet owners, it was written as I have stated, to protect the animals (for life)protect the public, and to protect family members that chose to keep these animals as pets.

If these maulings, deaths that surround the exotic pet trade continue, and they will, there will certainly be an outcry for a ban on ownership
from authorities that are invloved with these situations. Believe me the AR movement is calling for one as we speak, they dont think this bill is
strict enough. If regulations are set forth a ban will be out of the question. Many of us believe it should be banned, but we took into consideration the responsible exotic pet owners that would be willing to comply with these standards.In my opinion those that dont are not responsible enough to own them.

Thank you

Carol Asvestas

I suggest any further questions be directed to Tippi Hedren.


FOOTNOTE FROM GREG - It would seem that Carol doesn't have a real grasp as to what the Shambala Bill will or will not do. I would strongly suggest that we do NOT explain her own authored Bill, as to do so would allow them the pleasure of us writing the legislation they seek for them. I would also ask that Carol or whomever respond to this BB so that their no "secrets" or implied dealings with or on behalf of the this legislation. Sure would be nice for Tippi to drop by and explain her position.

Posted on Apr 10, 2000, 3:55 PM

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Greg and Carol, Tippi is an

by

actress....or was. She was a breeder of hundreds of lions. Check out the recent press. Oh the heck with the press, check on her history and the making of Roar, or whatever it was called.

I have a good idea that you already know this; maybe info for some readers.....or for some co-authors.

I will be in LA in June, and assuming that the Shambala Preserve has not been shut down, as the Waystation has been, I will be there. Open to conversation and polite debate I am.
Open to the drunken threats from some well known anti wolf dog nuts, I am not. I will tolerate no posturing or preening....okay, from the animals, yes, but NOT from the humans.

Carol, I have no idea if you are in LA of not, but if you are, I would be more than happy to meet with you. From what you have written here, it seems you have a vast lack of knowledge concerning exotic and non exotic animal owners (meaning wolf dogs). I have to assume this is simply a lack of personal contact with the 'good folks'. I pray you never prove otherwise. I have had it with the outright lies of certain organizations around here, if you will.

As for sending comments/suggestions/information directly to Tippi, sorry, I have a problem with that.

Tippi Hedren was an actress, as is her daughter. She is NOT a wolf dog expert, she is NOT an exotics expert, she is NOT a veterinarian, and she has in no way been trained in any animal husbandry. Neither is she an attorney. Why should we direct comments to her?

Come on Carol, no one here is an idiot. "Todd's Angel's" got attention in Washington because they were actresses......not because of their great expertise with animals. Actually the contrary; all three claimed to have been mauled by lions.

Sorry, as you co wrote this bill, I believe comments should go to you, or to the other authors of this bill. And to Congress.

I can tell by your post, 'warning' about forwarding posts, that you are new to these forums. Rest assured, many of us have been around for some time and know how this works. Heck, Patti Nickerson carries around posts she has written to herself with the names of others attached..........doesn't really carry much weight, you know?

Sincerely, gloria
Michigan Wolf Dog Rescue
http://www.bignet.net/~zadymka/index.htm

Posted on Apr 10, 2000, 4:36 PM

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Ditto, SHE HAS NO CLUE ABOUT WOLVES/WOLFDOGS....

by

...the companions we live with and love.

Stormy

Posted on Apr 10, 2000, 5:49 PM

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$hambala summary

by ZB :)

Below is $hambala bill summary from their website.
http://www.shambala.org/
It appears to me that
Tippi exempted herself by being federally or/and state licensed (which they have to be in CA), so the bill is written so they are exempted.

Actually, considering the latest Waystation problems, I would say these sanctuaries should be regulated MORE so the supposed violations are caught early and animals are kept well and in the best conditions.

ZB
=======
Here is the latest incident I am referring to:

Martine Colette, the vice president of T.Hedrens' american sanctuary association club ASA, that would be exempted from Shambala bill.
ZB
=======

<<Besides the waste removal issue, Fish and Game officials said a number of cages in the Waystation violate state codes. Those pens are too small, too crowded or built to the wrong specifications, they said. Colette said that until Friday, she thought the state approved of her updating cages as money came in.
The citations are not the first regulatory trouble for Colette.
She was cited by the Arizona Game and Fish Department in March for harboring a Bengal tiger without proper permits.>>

http://www.latimes.com/news/state/20000410/t000033771.html

April 10, 2000

Refuge Facing Probe Over Animal Waste Disposal
Health: Wildlife Waystation hoses pollutants from cages into creeks, inspectors say. Founder denies risk to public.


By ZANTO PEABODY, Times Staff Writer


The Wildlife Waystation, barred from giving public tours or accepting new animals, may face a criminal investigation over alleged violations of environmental codes, a state official said Sunday.
Animal waste flowing from the compound, home to nearly 1,200 animals, could be seeping into nearby creeks and a recreation lake and pose a risk to human health, said Mervin Hee, a regional enforcement director for the Department of Fish and Game. The order to cease giving tours and accepting additional wildlife came Friday after two rounds of inspections at the facility in Angeles National Forest.
Hee said Fish and Game officials have given a videotape depicting violations to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office environmental crimes unit.
"There are serious health and safety concerns up there," Hee said. "They need to reduce the impact of waste going into Little Tujunga Creek."
A major concern, Hee said, is that waste could seep into the recreation area at Hansen Dam or affect other downstream water users.
Hee said a videotape made during a March 28 inspection shows employees hosing down cages to remove feces, rather than legally collecting and disposing of it off-site. He also said he has enlisted the help of the state Regional Water Quality Control District and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in investigating the refuge.
Martine Colette, who founded the exotic wildlife sanctuary more than 25 years ago, denied that animal waste produced there posed any public health risk.
"That's nothing but bunk," Colette said, adding that even a temporary closure could cripple the facility.
Hee said he plans to meet today with Colette to determine ways the 160-acre sanctuary can reduce permanently its population of tigers, monkeys and other animals.
The Department of Fish and Game, which at times has sent animals to the Waystation for refuge, inspected the facility two weeks ago but did not measure how much animal waste goes into streams, or how much might be contaminating Hansen Dam, officials said.
"We don't know how much waste is being released," Hee said. "Determining the public health risk is not my area of expertise, but you've got 1,100 animals releasing waste."
The cease-and-desist order could force the facility to close for good if it is not lifted soon, Colette said. Wildlife Waystation's $2.5-million annual budget comes from private donations and tour fees, she said. She was barred from showing any animals over the weekend at America's Family Pet Expo in Pomona, and has canceled all tours scheduled for this week, including a scheduled field trip for 400 elementary school students.
"We depend on ongoing, month-to-month fund-raising," she said. "Without it, we cannot operate."
The state did not immediately levy fines, nor did it set a deadline for compliance. Colette, who compared her operation to a large horse ranch, said she would not remove animals from her facility unless they are healthy enough to leave.
"I'm not going to start removing animals right immediately," Colette said. "We don't have the wherewithal, nor is it in the interest of the animals' health. They are going to have to come up with a reason why I should remove animals if I am within the law and a reasonable length of time for me to do what they are asking."
Besides the waste removal issue, Fish and Game officials said a number of cages in the Waystation violate state codes. Those pens are too small, too crowded or built to the wrong specifications, they said. Colette said that until Friday, she thought the state approved of her updating cages as money came in.
The citations are not the first regulatory trouble for Colette.
She was cited by the Arizona Game and Fish Department in March for harboring a Bengal tiger without proper permits. In 1998, the Fish and Game Preservation Fund ordered the Waystation to pay a $2,000 fine for building an access road on a protected stream. The road led to a planned primate center that, because of a surveying error, was built partially on national forest land.
Colette said she bought the property from the Angeles National Forest and still plans to build the center.

Search the archives of the Los Angeles Times for similar stories about: Wildlife Waystation, California Department Of Fish And Game, Health And Safety Violations, Water Pollution, Martine Colette.

====
Summary of Provisions of The Shambala Wild Animal Protection Act of 2000
The primary purpose of the legislation is to assure public safety and animal welfare by establishing restrictions and controls on the killing, personal possession, care, breeding, importing, exporting, transportation, transferring possession of protected wild animals (such as lions, tigers, leopards, etc.).

The legislation would require a permit for the personal possession of such animals, but this requirement would not apply to any agency or official of the Federal Government or of a state or local government, research facility, zoos, animal parks, or wildlife sanctuaries currently regulated or licensed by the federal or state government.

Individuals currently possessing protected wild animals on the effective date of the enactment of this legislation would retain possession if they apply for a permit within one year of the date of the enactment of the legislation.

The Secretary of Agriculture through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will establish specific personal permitting application requirements, including age, experience and training of the applicant, proof of liability insurance, proof of qualified veterinarian care, compliance with all applicable state and local laws, proof of appropriate local license and surety bond information, identification of the applicant, and provisions for final disposition of the animal. The Secretary also will establish housing and care standards for each species covered in the legislation. Such standards will be established by zoologists and veterinarians who are experts on the individual species. Theses standards shall be established in order both to protect public health and safety and to insure the proper care and welfare of the animal.

The legislation also prohibits the transport or possession of protected wild animals for the purpose of killing or injuring them. This provision would eliminate "canned" hunts in which "sportsmen" "Hunt" wild animals which are confined to small spaces.
=====




Posted on Apr 11, 2000, 12:23 AM

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Welcome, ZB and thanks for posting this for us.

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Seems like they should be sweeping around their own door, as the old saying goes.

Posted on Apr 11, 2000, 1:26 AM

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Waystation

by Anonymous

Way station is also VERY ANTI wolfdog. They have some there, but they bad mouth them terribly during tours of their facilities..

Posted on Apr 12, 2000, 7:57 PM

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Who is irresponsible?????

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ANIMAL WELFARE CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST THE WILD ANIMAL ORPHANAGE IN TEXAS RIVERDALE, Md., May 24, 1999--The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently charged licensed animal exhibitors Ron and Carol Asvestas, doing business as the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, Texas, with violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

"It is the role of our inspectors to examine individuals and organizations that are licensed by the USDA for any violations of the AWA," said W. Ron DeHaven, deputy administrator for animal care with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a part of USDA's marketing and regulatory programs mission area. "In every case, the health and safety of the animals is our primary concern."

APHIS inspectors found that the Asvestases failed to:

--Properly ventilate a primary enclosure used to transport a tiger;
--Construct and maintain primary enclosures used to transport animals so as to provide sufficient space to allow each animal to make normal postural and social adjustments with adequate freedom of movement;
--Maintain programs of disease control and prevention, euthanasia, and adequate veterinary care under the supervision and assistance of a doctor of veterinary medicine.

--Provide veterinary care to animals in need of care;
--Maintain structurally sound housing facilities for animals in good repair so as to protect the animals from injury, to contain the animals, and to restrict the entrance of other animals;
--Store supplies of food and bedding so as to adequately protect them against deterioration, molding, or contamination by vermin;
--Make provisions for the removal and disposal of animal wastes so as to minimize vermin infestation, odors, and disease hazards;
--Maintain structurally sound housing facilities for nonhuman primates in good repair so as to protect the animals from injury, to contain the animals securely, and to restrict the entrance of other animals;
--Provide animals kept outdoors with adequate shelter from inclement weather; and
--Store supplies of food for nonhuman primates in a manner that protects them from spoilage, contamination, and vermin infestation.

APHIS inspectors conduct inspections of licensees to ensure compliance with the Act. Any violations that inspectors find can lead to civil penalties. The AWA requires that regulated individuals and businesses provide animals with care and treatment according to standards established by APHIS.
The standards include requirements for recordkeeping, adequate housing, sanitation, food, water, transportation, exercise for dogs, veterinary care, and shelter. The law regulates the care of animals that are sold as pets at the wholesale level, transported in commerce, used for biomedical research, or used for exhibition purposes.

# NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like an interview concerning this or any other AWA related issue please contact Jim Rogers or Jamie Ambrosi at the numbers listed above.

USDA news releases, program announcements, and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the APHIS Home Page by pointing your Web browser to http://www.aphis.usda.gov and clicking on "APHIS Press Releases." Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to majordomo@info.aphis.usda.gov and leave the subject blank. In the message, type subscribe press_releases
=======================================
Local agency charged in animal deaths Group not planning to challenge suspension, fine By Russell Gold Express-News Staff Writer When a zoo in Spokane, Wash., lost its lease in 1996, the board of directors had to scramble to find new homes for the animals. Two tigers and two cougars were among the hardest to place.

Wild Animal Orphanage, a San Antonio animal sanctuary, agreed to take them, sparing the large cats from euthanasia.

Relief quickly turned to grief, however. By the time the charter plane returned to San Antonio, both tigers and one of the cougars had died.

The fiasco raised enough eyebrows the United States Department of Agriculture decided to open an investigation.

Two months ago, the government brought charges against Wild Animal Orphanage, citing numerous willful violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

The agency has proposed a $12,000 fine and a 90-day suspension of WAO's exhibitor license.

WAO director Carol Asvestas called the charges "ridiculous," but she said there are no plans to fight them through the courts.

"I don't want to spend money on an attorney and go to a hearing and take away from the animals that I have in my care. I'm not about to do it," she said.

Asvestas said she wrote to the USDA explaining how deficiencies have been remedied.

The charges come as WAO is expecting a shipment of 60 sooty mangabeys and 40 stump-tailed macaques from the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center near Atlanta.

"Any tiny deviation from a perfect world and you are going to get a citation," Yerkes spokeswoman Kate Egan said. "It is not going to change our relations with them."

The USDA brought charges against 39 organizations in fiscal year 1998 for animal-welfare violations, said agency spokesman Jim Rogers. Based on a review of recent actions, complaints are usually against animal dealers and circuses, not animal sanctuaries.

The charges against WAO claim the sanctuary used crates either too small or too little ventilation to move the tigers and cougars.

In a series of follow-up visits to the sanctuary, inspectors cited WAO for improper cages, failing to remove animal waste and not maintaining a distance between the public and animals.

WAO operates a sanctuary off Loop 1604 near Sea World.
Tours of the facility are offered to the public during most of the year.

The sanctuary houses more than 200 animals, including chimpanzees, tigers, brown bears, foxes and a large collection of domestic cats.

Asvestas said the charges were all minor infractions.

"We are not guilty of anything that literally affected the animal's welfare," she said.

Why the tigers and cougar died is not entirely clear.

Asvestas brought three crates to Spokane ^W two metal military surplus crates used by the Army to move German Shepherds and a wooden box built by WAO. She placed both cougars in one of the crates. Each full-grown tiger had its own crate.

"At no time did I feel the crates used were so small as to cause the deaths of the animals, even though they were slightly cramped,"
Asvestas stated in an affidavit given in 1997.

Kevin Rogers, a veterinarian from Spokane, has a different recollection.

Talking about one of the tigers, Brown said, "his head was cricked around and he was basically stuffed in the box."

The other tiger also did not fit. "The crate had to be stood on its end and shaken to get the cat in there enough to close the door," he said.

After the crates were secured, they were placed on a
19-seat twin engine turbo-prop plane. One of the cougars was sitting up during the flight, said Ron Stotz, the pilot. The three other cats did not budge an inch.

"I never saw any motion. They were zonked, maybe too zonked," Stotz said. "They were laying there with their tongues hanging out."

The two tigers and one of the cougars were dead upon arrival in San Antonio, eight hours after leaving Spokane. An
8-year-old female cougar named Dandi survived the trip.

An autopsy by local veterinarian Larry Ehrlund was inconclusive, but in his necropsy report he said his findings suggested the animals had died of respiratory failure related to sedation and obesity. He also found "a blood tinge discharge from the mouth and nares (nostrils)."

Asvestas brought ketamine and other anesthetics to Spokane to sedate the animals. She injected Dandi before Rogers arrived.
Whoever injected the other three animals is disputed.

Rogers said Asvestas and another WAO employee determined the dosage.
Asvestas blames Rogers for giving the two tigers and the cougar a lethal dose.

Rogers said he was struck dumbfounded when he learned there would not be a veterinarian on the plane trip back to San Antonio.

"We were all devastated by the incident," said Carol Snyder, former director of the Spokane zoo.

Friday, May 14,1999
=====================================

http://www.expressnews.com/pantheon/news-bus/metro/0201btlc1.shtml Retired lab primates cause health concerns By Russell Gold <rdgold@express-news.net>; Express-News Staff Writer A tiger bought as a cute cub that grew from playful pet into a muscular feline with deadly claws. A chimpanzee abandoned by a roadside zoo. Giving these castaways a new home is the bread-and-butter business of animal sanctuaries.
A primate sits in a cage at the Wild Animal Orphanage, which has drawn concerns over plans to house simians that can carry an HIV variant. Photo by Delcia Lopez/Staff A San Antonio sanctuary has expanded that business to include retired laboratory primates.
Some applaud this as a humane way to retire primates bred for use in experiments. But others worry that putting these animals in unregulated sanctuaries could be dangerous. Some primates carry diseases fatal to humans.


Posted on Apr 11, 2000, 9:27 AM

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Forwarded from Florida on Florida Bills

by Christine


To: wolfdog@onelist.com Subject: [wolfdog] Florida Alert
From: "Gayle Ramirez" <odysseykennel@webtv.net> Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2000 15:59:44 -0000

Please cross post and send this to anyone you know in Florida.You can email me privatly if you need more info odysseykennel@webtv.net
From Diane Albers president of the Florida assoc of kennel clubs:
Subject:Florida HB0355 and SB 0700

<< Subject: NOTICE -- IF YOU OWN A MIXED-BREED OR PUREBRED DOG IF YOU OWN A MIXED
This is important to you and your right to own a dog. There are two bills in Tallahassee, SB0700 and HB 0355; both in agricultural committees. The bills are to change the dangerous dog law in Florida and to remove the preemption clause. If this is removed any city or county can write a law outlawing any particular dog breed. No breed is more dangerous than any other breed. This is as close to animal racism asyou can get. The exact wording is "revises provisions re authority oflocal governments to place further restrictions or additional requirements on owners of such dogs or to develop procedures & criteria for implementation of state law governing!
dangerous dogs to remove restriction that no local regulation be specific to breed." You need to call, write, and email each sponsor & each member ofthe committee and ask that they withdraw the bills.
For more info on HB-0355 please go to http://www.leg.state.fl.us/session/2000/billinfo/index.cfm?Mode=Vi ewBillInfo&BillNum=0355#Amendments
The Florida House of Representatives member responsible for this bill is Tracy Stafford.
* His web page is -- http://www.leg.state.fl.us/house/members/h92.html
* His email address is -- stafford.tracy@leg.state.fl.us
* His address is -- The Honorable Tracy Stafford, Florida House of Representatives, The Capitol, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300.
* His phone number is -- 850-488-0880 (Tallahassee Phone) -- 954-467-4510 (District Phone)
A list of the members on the Agriculture committee are listed below in the "Sample E-mail To Committee Member"


Posted on Apr 4, 2000, 9:28 AM

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Update on FL Bills

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The two bills (House Bill 0355 and Senate Bill 0700) flew through the Ag Committees like they were greased. They took ADOA, the FL Kennel Owner's Assoc., the Florida Lupine Association, etc. by surprise.

The bills are now slotted to be introduced to the House and the Senate any day now--prbably next week. For those interested in helping to stop this BSL legislation from passing, you can go to the FL legislature home page at http://www.leg.state.fl.us/ or to find out more specific information on the two bills you can go to http://www.leg.state.fl.us/session/2000/billinfo/index.cfm?Mode=ViewBillInfo&BillNum=0700 for the Senate bill 0700. There is a link there to the House bill 0355, which is the sister bill to the Senate Bill.

You can contact Senator Toni Jennings (President of the Senate) at Suite 409, The Capitol, 404 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100, PHONE (850) 487-5229 or FAX (850) 487-5844. I would include her email but as they are in session right now, they send out form replies saying thank you for the email but we are in session and the email gets filtered down to the aides.

You can also contact the Honorable John Thrasher (Speaker of the House) at Florida Capitol, Room 420, 402 S. Monroe St., Tallahassee, FL, 32399-1300, PHONE (850) 488-1450 or FAX (850) 487-5842.

Please help by calling or writing to these individuals now. If you need form letters, you can go to http://www.rott-n-chatter.com/rottweilers/laws/sampleletters.html for some ideas on how to compose your letters.

If you need any more contact information or just information in general, feel free to write to me. My addy is above.

Kim

Posted on Apr 21, 2000, 12:28 AM

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