Please take three actions: animals in India, horse slaughter, Rosie the elephant

Please click on and sign the following:

1. Support New Animal Protection Law For India

2. Stop Horsemeat Slaughterhouses From Reopening

3. Tell USDA: No Permit For Pseudo-sanctuary For Solitary Elephant


1. Background | From IDA

The animal protection law in India – the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act – was first passed in 1960, and few amendments have been made since. According to our colleagues in India, it is woefully outdated, with tiny fines, and not at all a deterrent to anyone who is cruel to animals.

A new bill has been drafted by the Animal Welfare Board of India to replace the original Act, but the Government of India is dragging its feet on this issue. And now, unfortunately, a competing, unacceptable version is circulating, drafted without the participation of the Animal Welfare Board.

Please send an e-mail to the Indian officials listed below. Tell them to support and enact the bill drafted by the Animal Welfare Board of India.

Personalize and submit the form below to e-mail your comments to:

• Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh
• Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress, and Chairperson, National Advisory Trust
• Ms. Jayanthi Natarajan, Minister of Environment & Forests

2. Background | From Force Change

Target: United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

Goal: Prevent equine slaughterhouses from reopening.

Horse meat has never been technically outlawed from the United States (aside from a few individual states) but a ban on funding horsemeat inspections of slaughterhouses effectively eliminated the product from U.S. markets.  Now after five years Congress is electing to lift that ban–which may have slaughterhouses up and running in as short as a month’s time.

Prior to this the USDA was forced to find its own money for inspections.  Because of this lack of funding they simply elected to forgo inspections.  Without any inspections of the meat it could not be sold, effectively eliminating the industry without the outcry of an outright ban.

Advocates have given the excuse that neglect is on the rise over the five year period that the ban has been in place.  This excuse is faulty and misleading.  The economic downturn is the chief reason for rising animal neglect.  Horse owners that can’t afford their mortgages, or sometimes even to feed their families are put in a cruel position where animals end up suffering.  This does not make that neglect acceptable, but it does explain the growth of the issue.  Slaughterhouse inspection bans are not to blame, and neglect should not be trumpeted as a reason to bring them back.

When the last U.S. slaughterhouse that butchered horses closed in 2007 it should have marked the end of this debate entirely.  Instead now an estimated 200,000 horses could be slaughtered for human consumption next year despite the fact that there is virtually no U.S. demand for the meat (it will be primarily shipped to portions of Europe and Asia).

Lifting this ban is a hackneyed attempt at boosting the economy during a recession period that has political officials trying anything to boost the economy.  That goal is important to be sure, but not at the expense of innocent horses.  The original ban needs to remain in place.  Horses must be protected from slaughterhouses.


3. Background | From IDA

Despite pleas from Maine citizens, experts from around the world, and actor Lily Tomlin, a veterinarian is moving forward with his plan to bring a lone elephant named Rosie to live in a backyard “sanctuary” that is a anything but a refuge for this elephant. But some hurdles remain that can stop this misguided plan.

Veterinarian Jim Laurita, a long-time friend to circuses, still has to secure a permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in order to exhibit Rosie. While he claims to want to help her – she suffers severe arthritis – veterinarians experienced in working with elephants state that the therapies he would provide cannot overcome the ill effects of keeping Rosie confined indoors to a tiny pen for much of the year due to cold weather and snow.

There are solid grounds for the USDA to deny a permit, especially since Dr. Laurita, who worked with elephants for a limited time nearly 30 years ago, lacks the experience and knowledge required to safely handle an elephant, as required by the USDA. This puts handlers, volunteers, and the public at risk, and endangers Rosie’s well-being.

Dr. Laurita spoke with IDA founder Dr. Elliot Katz, who urged him to facilitate Rosie’s transfer to a real elephant sanctuary, where she could live with other Asian elephants, have many acres to roam, and receive the expert care that she needs for healing. Instead, he plans to acquire yet another elephant, though he can’t provide enough space even for one.

Tell the USDA to refrain from granting a permit to Dr. Laurita because of the danger it would create for humans and for Rosie.

Personalize and submit the form HERE  to send your message to:

• Dr. Gregory Parham, Administrator, APHIS/USDA

See More:

• Compassionate Eating

• Cruelty-Free

• Vegan Guides

there are many things
that we cannot control
around our planet
as a whole
but when something bothers
us enough to take a stand
we are armed and ready
mouse in hand
click on petitions
sign away
then we will all wake up
to some brighter days!!!

Karen Lyons Kalmenson