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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Animals in war (cont.)

The photographs in the last post, about Veterans Day, were taken in London a couple years ago. The Animals in War monument was a total surprise, discovered during a walk along Park Lane, overlooking Hyde Park. Exploring it, then trying to capture it in photos while thinking about what animals have endured, was an emotional experience. Countless people contributed to the memorial, recognizing how animals have served, suffered and died for human purposes.

English author Jilly Cooper published a book called Animals in War in the early 1980s, and some sources have it that her book inspired the monument. In any case, she was part of the drive to raise money for its creation.

The wording in one photo is hard to read; here it is:

Animals in War ~ They Had No Choice

This monument is dedicated to all the animals that served and died alongside British and Allied forces in wars and campaigns throughout time.

Many and various animals were employed to support British and Allied forces in wars and campaigns over the centuries and as a result millions died from the pigeon to the elephant they all played a vital role in every region of the world in the cause of human freedom their contributions must never be forgotten

The building of this monument was made possible by generous public donations . . . .

This monument was unveiled on 24 November 2004 by HRH the Princess Royal KG KT Patron the animals in war memorial fund

David Backhouse ~ Designer and Sculptor
Richard Holliday Harry Gray, carvers
Built by Sir Robert McAlpine, LTD
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Veterans day

R. I. P.

In the post for Oct. 10, “No rest in peace,” I wondered what happens to the bodies of dead animals removed from roads in town. Now I have specific answers from Chris Buck, Lawrence Township’s animal control officer (ACO) for the last 21 years.

For deer, the biggest animal, it depends on what kind of road the body is found on or near – municipal, county or state. A private vendor is authorized to pick up and dispose of the bodies of deer on or near municipal roads. He bills the township for the service. Workers with the Dept. of Transportation pick up deer bodies from county and state roads.

Lawrence’s ACO picks up the bodies of birds, raccoons and other wildlife. The bodies are double-bagged, placed in a dumpster and eventually wind up in a landfill. (Interesting to note that with injured, sick or orphaned birds or wild mammals, the birds are taken to a township resident who handles them; mammals go to the Wildlife Center on Route 29.)

The bodies of dogs, cats and other animals who may belong to someone are checked for ID (collars, tattoos or micro-chips); when there’s ID, Buck contacts the owner. Bodies without ID are each are placed in a bag (with descriptive info on the outside) and stored in a freezer that Lawrence and Hopewell share. Then if people ask about an animal companion, the body can be turned over if desired.

After a fixed time, bodies go to Pet Meadows, Hamilton, for cremation and the township is billed.

Case closed – with thanks to Chris.
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(Note: This blog has occasionally mentioned helpful people in the world of animals. There are more to come, starting soon with a sketch of Chris Buck that will include what her job as an Animal Control Officer entails.)

A parallel world

The current national health care bill debate includes story after story of people who can’t afford the medical treatment they need. They have responded to requests to tell their stories, adding weight to the push for health care reform.

But animals – non-human animals, that is – can’t tell their own stories about needed health care that is too expensive for their people to handle. They often miss out on the medical treatments that could make them well because the cost is prohibitive.

Then what? Well, it can go the way of an area artist whose dog was diagnosed with heartworms. The artist could not afford the cost of dealing with the condition, and the dog eventually died.

Or, it can come to the attention of the Animal Protection League of NJ (formerly NJ Animal Rights Alliance) – which gives the animal a fighting chance. APLNJ invites caring people to contribute to its Veterinarian Bill Assistance Program (VBAP) which since 1990 has helped animals who need medical interventions when their families can’t afford to pay for them.

APLNJ’s programs director Janine Motta tells about one such case:

"We just helped a cat named "Brooklyn." I got a call from his "mom" today, telling me that we saved his life. He was in acute kidney failure. Her vet wouldn't allow her to pay over time - even though she has been to him for years.

"I suggested she try another vet, and she did. They were very kind, the bill was much lower than it would have been at the other place and Brooklyn is now home after a 3-day stay at the vet’s and visibly improving.

"These types of calls can be very emotionally draining, long and involved because we don't just give money. We talk to the caller, sometimes offering our own experiences to help them decide what is best for their animal -- are certain diagnostics really necessary, can they do things (such as fluids) at home themselves, etc. We often suggest going to a vet we work with to help reduce the cost. That sometimes gives enough of a financial break that they can then afford the treatment."

To donate to this APLNJ program, go to http://aplnj.org/donation.htm and put VBAP in the comment section. Or, send a check payable to APLNJ, to PO Box 174, Englishtown, NJ 07726 (put VBAP in the memo). Find out more about the program via info@aplnj.org.
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He's back

He’s at it again. “Mr. Outdoors” is once more heralding the wonders of the season by ticking off what animals can be hunted and killed, and exactly when. What a sport – which he must be seen as, since his column runs in the sports section of the Trenton Times. There are sports and sports.

When the headline reads, “Small-game season opens tomorrow,” he’s not talking Monopoly. No, he refers to “the men and women in orange” – as if that phrase were equivalent to “men and women in (some sort of altruistic) uniform” – and how they can enjoy themselves outdoors over the next few months.

His fearless band in orange will be “taking to the fields and thickets” to kill “pheasant, quail, rabbits, squirrels and . . . other small game” in whatever way is legal. He mentions “stocking” at least five times, as in “60,000 pheasants will be stocked on 24 wildlife management areas throughout the state.”

In other words, the pheasants will be brought in so the hunters can do their best to kill them. Does this sound like an adult version of hiding (or stocking?) Easter eggs for kids to find? No one can claim hunters are helping to control overpopulation in this hunt, since the population is expanded for the hunt!

Lucky rabbits! “The cottontail is one of New Jersey’s most popular game species,” Mr. Outdoors reports, mentioning that “use of a beagle or basset hound . . . can increase the likelihood of success and add to the overall enjoyment of the hunt.” Well, maybe not overall enjoyment.

Not to be outdone, those thoughtful gray squirrels “provide exciting opportunities for hunters.” To “the men and women in orange,” animals exist to serve humans in such ways. And what a glorious death: mobbed by happy hunters, shot and killed, then bagged. (“Daily bag limit is 5 per day.”)
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About birds

When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore --
When he beats his bars and he would be free:
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to heaven he flings --
I know why the caged bird sings!

--Paul Laurence Dunbar, the son of 2 runaway slaves

With thanks once more to PETA President Ingrid Newkirk for this poem in her chapter on "Cute 'Pet' or Complex Individual and Friend for Life?" in The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights. (2009)

What follows the poem are observations and facts like these:

* "There is no such animal as a 'cage bird.' All caged birds were either captured or captive-bred. No bird was born to be in a cage."

* An estimated 40 million birds are confined to cages in homes across the US.

* "Of all the cruelties of thoughtlessness, including the loss of flight and liberty, depriving them (birds) of companionship may be the most heartless."
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