SUPPORT H.R. 503/S. 1915
With overwhelming public support, the Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL) convinced Congress to pass an amendment to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill that prohibits your tax dollars from being used to fund the federally mandated inspection of horses slaughtered for human consumption—thereby protecting America's horses from slaughter for the rest of the fiscal year. The measure was overwhelmingly approved in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and signed into law by the President.
After Brief Hiatus, Aerial Wolf Gunning in Alaska Resumes
UNITED STATES As we reported in the spring 2005 AWI Quarterly, using an aircraft to hunt down wildlife is illegal in most places—but not in Alaska. There, the cruel practice is a state-supported form of predator control. A controversial aerial gunning program was launched to increase moose and caribou populations for hunters, which has caused the slaughter of approximately 550 wolves over the past three years.
Remembering Leibchen
Gulf Coast Doberman Rescue's Terri Valenti contacted us with the sad news that Leibchen has died. Readers may remember this Hurricane Katrina dog from the previous AWI Quarterly; she clung to life for seven weeks, only to be placed out with the trash when her owners returned.
The AgriProcessors (AGRI) kosher slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa was documented mutilating still-conscious cows and using improper and brutal handling practices for killing poultry (AWI Quarterly, winter 2005). An undercover People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals video of the plant revealed that its slaughter methods clearly violated both the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and Jewish law.
On Dec. 1, 2005, the US government signed into law the Caribbean National Forest Act of 2005, designating nearly 4,047 hectares of the Caribbean National Forest and another site in Puerto Rico's Luquillo Experimental Forest as wilderness areas.
Over the winter, Japanese whalers tried to kill their self-appointed scientific research whaling quota of over 1,200 Bryde's, fin, humpback, minke, sei and sperm whales.
This year, the Caribbean is not just a popular destination for vacationers and pre-World Cup cricket enthusiasts, as the 2006 International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting will be held in St. Kitts and Nevis in June.
