Love and the animals

Valentine’s weekend = a fine time to show your love for animals by demonstrating against fur and/or the carriage horse trade. Just as it’s true that Thanksgiving doesn’t have to mean death for turkeys, it’s also true that Valentines doesn’t have to mean fur coats (thanks to slaughtered animals) or “romantic” carriage rides (thanks to cruelly abused horses).

Can’t humans just celebrate their holidays and leave animals alone?!

* Caring Activists Against Fur will hold a major demo in NYC this weekend. Here are the specs (from the website: www.caafgroup.com):

Saturday, Feb. 13 - Have a Heart march and protest in NYC
1:00 - 1:15 gather at Columbus Circle
1:15 - 1:30 march down Central Park South
1:30 - 3:00 protest in front of Bergdorf Goodman 754 Fifth Avenue (57th and 58th Sts.)

* On Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14, three groups against horse-drawn carriages (Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages [www.banhdc.org], Friends of Animals [friendsofanimals.org], Heart for Animals) will sponsor “a peaceful demo and rally to protest the inhumane and unsafe horse-carriage trade,” from 1-3 pm. On “a day of love and kindness to all” (including horses, for a change!) they invite participants to meet at Central Park South and 5th Avenue, near the hack line. Demonstrators will ask people not to make a date with cruelty by boycotting horse-drawn carriages.

Love means never wearing fur or riding in horse-drawn carriages.
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Activism ops

I. If you believe “The most responsible way to help outdoor cats is to ensure that no kittens are born,” and that “Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the only effective, humane way to control the outdoor, feral cat population” -- and if you want to help feral cats in your own area -- consider attending the Trap-Neuter-Return Workshop Saturday, November 21, at the Ewing Branch Library (61 Scotch Road, Ewing).

Sponsored by the Animal Protection League of NJ (formerly NJ Animal Rights Alliance), the workshop will run from 1-4 pm. A registration fee of $10 covers bound reference materials and light refreshments.

To reserve ahead as required, phone 732-446-6808 or write to Sandra.Obi@aplnj.org. For more information on TNR, visit http://www.projecttnr.com/.
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II. Think again about getting involved in the anti-fur movement. Think about how fur coats and fur trim and fur boots happen. It’s gruesome and barbaric. And it’s unnecessary – no one in today’s world needs fur to keep warm – except the animals who originally wear it.

The following paragraph comes from a reminder about a demonstration this weekend. Julie, the writer, is a school teacher and mother of twins, besides everything else. Yet for years now, she has also been a prime mover behind this anti-fur effort. You can tell from her message how committed she is.

***** Please join me this Sat. Nov. 14th - I don't cancel for rain. Only check website for cancellation if it is downpouring, which it is not supposed to be. Being out in sometimes lousy weather shows people that we are dedicated to the cause of helping animals. These foxes, mink, and chinchillas are kept outside in wire mesh cages in all weather. It's theleast I can do to bring attention to their suffering for an hour and a half. Please help me speak out for them. – Julie *****

The fur trade is very ugly. Check Julie’s website, http://www.caafgroup.com/, for info on other demonstrations, including the big one in NYC on “Fur-free Friday.”
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