AWI Quarterly -- Winter 2008

Winter 2008 Volume 57 Number 1

About the cover:  Poncho, an Aussie-Heeler mix, was rescued from his original owner at the age of 2. As a puppy, he was beaten and kept in a tiny crate because he was not interested in herding. However, after his rescue by Darryl Armstrong of Salt Lake City, Utah, he became the perfect therapy dog. Poncho comforted and entertained clients of all ages for 12 years, visiting the Utah Cancer Specialists facility and playing Frisbee outside its picture window so patients could watch him while receiving their chemo infusions. In his spare time , Poncho won "Best Tricks" at Salt Lake's annual Strut Your Mutt event five years in a row, until he "retired" to give other dogs a chance for the title. The joy spread by animals like Poncho has a powerful effect on humans. They can also help children learn to read. See "Animal Teachings" on pages 4-7 for one teacher's experiences with Reading Education Assistance Dogs, a program of Intermountain Therapy Animals. Cover photo by Skip Huntress.

Full Winter 2008 AWI Quarterly as PDF

Animals in the Environment

• Open Pit Mining: The Growing Threat to Alaska's Bristol Bay Ecosystem
• Man's Folly Magnifies Nature's Power, by Tim Hermach

Animals in Laboratories

• Living in Harmony, by Dr. Bushmitz Mark Moshe

Animals in the Oceans

• Dolphin Importers Charged
• "Missing Link" Reveals Whales' Evolution from Land-Dwelling Animal
• Surfer Saved from Shark…by Dolphins

Animals in the Wild

• Polar Bear Decision Delayed
• Scientists Document Rare Species in Gobi Desert
• Dr. Shirley McGreal Honored for Primate Protection Efforts
• Smuggled Snakes Discovered in Vietnam
• Oil Harms Birds and Marine Species
• Part Four: China's Illegal Trade Threatens the Environment
• Mongolia's Perilous Wildlife Trade

Animals on the Farm

• Smithfield Chairman Named Biggest Grinch
• The Great Pig Debate: How CAFOs Stalk the Future President, by Dave Murphy
• Salmon Farming Threatens Wild Populations
• Rancher Horrified to Learn her Pregnant Mares Were Slaughtered

Humane Education

• Animals are Beings, Too
• Animal Teachings: Educators weave awareness and respect for animals into their lessons, by Tracy Basile

News from Capital Hill

• Updated Compassion Index Promotes Constituent Activism

Reviews

• In Defense of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier
• Sharkwater

The Pebble Gold and Copper Mine Project in Alaska's Bristol Bay would produce the largest open pit mine in North America and destroy the habitats of bears and other species. Photo: iStockphoto

Animals at Israel's B Virus-Free Cynomolgus Monkey Breeding Farm love playing in the swimming pool and appear to be content with their surroundings. Photo: Dr. Bushmitz Mark Moshe

Behind the closed doors of Iowa's CAFO operations, pigs are confined in crates and cannot express their natural behaviors. Photo: Diane Halverson