A bill will be introduced in the session that begins Feb. 7 to increase the penalty for cockfighting from a $50 fine to a $6,000 fine and as much as a year behind bars.

The bill is being pushed by the Humane Society of the U.S., which is also trying to slow down an advocacy group that is fighting the legislation. The Humane Society has asked the Alabama attorney general’s office to investigate why the Alabama Gamefowl Breeders Association is listed with the state as a nonprofit organization. The Humane Society of the U.S. is a national animal welfare and protection organization that is not related to local humane society shelters.

Mindy Gilbert, state director for Humane Society of the U.S., said the Gamefowl Breeders Association can’t be nonprofit when it promotes an illegal activity.

Former state Rep. Ken Guin, a Carbon Hill attorney, has been hired to represent the Alabama Gamefowl Breeders Association during the session. Guin said the organization will fight the bill. He said the Gamefowl Breeders are a legitimate non-profit organization that raises the birds, mostly to be shipped out-of-state and often out of the country. He said many of the birds are raised to show in events similar to dog shows.

Guin said the Gamefowl Breeders will oppose the bill in the upcoming session. He said breeding the birds is a big industry in the state.

“This is a huge industry with a tremendous economic impact in Alabama,” Guin said.

He said the birds are raised in more humane conditions than most poultry and are shipped in individual cages.

The bill will be sponsored by Republican Rep. Jim Barton of Mobile in the House and by Republican Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster in the Senate.

Ward said one of the reasons why new legislation is needed is that other states have adopted stiffer penalties for cockfighting.

“So many states are clamping down on this so they are coming to Alabama to do it,” Ward said.

Ward said in addition to the cruelty to animals issue, there is concern about the large amounts of money that are bet on cockfighting and the concern that the birds could spread diseases.

Gilbert said it’s not uncommon for one of the birds involved in a cockfight to die in the ring. She said often sharp objects are attached to their talons before the fights.

“Young children have been found at these sites, handling the birds. Children have been found actively gambling,” Gilbert said.

She said the fights are sometimes staged in arenas with scoreboards and a public address system.

http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20120121/APN/1201211010?p=1&tc=pg

Stephen Messenger
Science / Natural Sciences
January 11, 2012

© vincentraal

It is said that the ability to use tools is an important commonality shared between humans and non-human primates — likewise, so it seems, is the desire to be free. In the early hours of the morning yesterday, a group of eight capuchin monkeys made a remarkably clever escape from a zoo in Brazil. Much to the surprise of staffers at the small facility, the daring monkeys appear to have used a stone tool to break the locks of their enclosure before fleeing into the surrounding forest.

Of the eight monkey to escape the facility in the Brazilian state of Paraná, officials have only managed to capture four so far. Zoo coordinator Gladis Dalamina told Globo that fruit-lined cage traps were successful in capturing three of the monkeys in the hours after the break out. The forth was found a day later after it broke into a nearby restaurant.

“It was a surprise because this isn’t the jungle here, and to have [a monkey] enter my establishment,” said the restaurant owner. “It was fun.”

Dalamina says that he and his staff will continue to try to track down the rest of the escapees, but that he thinks he’s already nabbed the brains of the zoo-break — an older monkey named Ceará, along with his girlfriend Amarela. According to officials, this isn’t the first time monkeys have tried to escape the small community zoo, though using a stone tool has been their most surprising and effective method yet.

“Their job is to run. Our’s is to catch.”

Capuchin monkeys are thought to be the most intelligent of the New World monkeys, exhibiting a remarkable ability to use stone tools. Researchers have observed capuchins in the wild gathering rocks, often collected from great distances away, to help them to crack open hard nuts. This skill is passed on generationally as younger monkeys learn by watching their elders.

Applying this same tool usage to the novel task of breaking locks, however, indicates an extraordinary use of logic to solve the unnatural dilemma of their captivity. But what’s more, perhaps, is the fundamental desire which guided their actions: the longing to be free.

http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/monkeys-found-have-used-tools-escape-zoo-brazil.html

Published: January 11, 2012
Updated: January 12, 2012 – 9:34 AM

Home / news / local /

New Brockton mayor found guilty of animal cruelty

By Carole Brand | cbrand@eprisenow.com

New Brockton Mayor Lenwood Herron was found guilty of second-degree animal cruelty Wednesday by a Coffee County jury.

The jury foreman presented the verdict to Circuit Judge Thomas Head, who read the guilty verdict before the courtroom in Enterprise.

Herron had been charged after dogs were found in what was described as “deplorable” conditions in the town’s dog pen.

Sentencing for Herron was not immediately scheduled. The charge of second-degree animal cruelty is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail with fines up to $6,000.

The 12-person jury, comprised of both men and women, adjourned to the jury room Tuesday afternoon at 2:45 p.m., but could not reach a verdict.

Head dismissed the jury around 5 p.m. Tuesday and the jury returned to the jury room Wednesday for deliberations. Around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday the unanimous verdict was announced.

Also arrested and charged with Herron from the May 2011 incident was New Brockton Public Works Supervisor Tony Bludsworth, who testified in Herron’s trial. Bludsworth is also charged with second-degree animal cruelty.

Bludsworth’s testimony in Herron’s trial showed Herron was his direct supervisor and Bludsworth took orders from him. In the testimony, Bludsworth also stated that he felt his job was in jeopardy from remarks made by Herron and “there ain’t but one way in the town of New Brockton and that’s the mayor’s way.”

According to Assistant District Attorney John Folmar, in closing statements made Tuesday, Bludsworth had testified Herron went to the dog pens, located near the water treatment facility, “on several occasions. I don’t see how he could have missed seeing the dogs.”

Bludsworth stated “we asked him (Herron) about five to 12 times to buy dog food for the animals, but he didn’t. He gave us a check one time for us to buy tin and some 2 x 4’s to put on the dog cages to fix them, but we didn’t use it. All those dogs would have been dead it was so hot….we also told him (Herron) three or four times that the bulldog was hurting the other dogs and puppies. I told him about it and he said he’d handle it.”

Herron was represented by attorney Letta Gorman.

Dothan Eagle © Copyright 2012 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company.

East Lake Park island resident- beavers to be displaced, denied preferred food source, in Birmingham Audubon Society’s efforts to promote charismatic birds.  Herons could be frightened away from the nesting site by human disturbance.

On Wednesday, January 4th, the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board held its first of two monthly meeting at Legion Field. The second meeting is scheduled for January 18th.

On the agenda was an item listed as:  ‘Consideration of a request from Hans Paul, President of the Birmingham Audubon Society to promote East Lake Park as a site on the Alabama Tourism Department’s Alabama Birding Trails System.’

While this sounds like a complimentary effort at first glance, what does it really mean?

According to Society President Hans Paul the project will have four phases: protect, plant, replace the base materials of the island, and build interpretative signage.

• Protect trees on the East Lake island from resident beavers for nesting herons. This will involve ‘caging’ the trunks of the trees with wire, denying the beavers their food source there.

• Adding weeping willow trees to the island was suggested by Mr. Paul because of their vast root system. It was noted that willows are a favorite food source for beavers, however they (trees) would be ‘caged’ as well.

• How the base materials of the island would be replaced was not shared by Mr. Paul.

• Interpretive birding signs would be provided by the society.

At the close of Mr. Paul’s presentation, questions were asked by the Park Board Commissioners.

When asked about the island at East Lake park, Mr. Paul stated that he had not yet seen the island.

When asked about the total budget amount for the entire project, Mr. Paul stated it was unknown.

When asked about requested assistance from the city to plant trees on the island, Mr. Paul stated that he could plant the trees.

It should be noted that Great Heron (found at East Lake Park), while typically four feet tall with a six-foot wing span,  have hollow bones and therefore usually weigh less than five pounds. They do not require large, strapping trees for nesting. In some areas heron even nest on the ground.

When asked by an interested citizen, what specific impact Mr. Paul thought the Society’s actions would have on the resident beavers, Mr. Paul had no answer.  Society member, Dick Mills, acknowledged that the beavers had built a small lodge (home) adjacent to the island.

As the discussion continued, Mr. Mills stated that East Lake Park was not the best habitat for beavers. However, the presence of beavers for many years at the park, their ability to sustain themselves there,  and their ability to create a home for themselves there indicates otherwise.

In closing the discussion, Mr. Mills was asked if he perceived East Lake Park as an ecosystem ( a community of living and non-living things that work together to make a balanced system ).

He said that he did. BUT, he acknowledged the Society’s intention to create a habitat specific for the heron on the island. This is said to include removal of fallen trees to make the island ‘pretty.’

It should be noted that this action will prevent other species from living there.  Other wild birds and small animals that rest, and nest, and forage on naturally fallen trees will be excluded.

A healthy ecosystem has lots of species diversity and is less likely to be seriously damaged by human interaction, natural disasters and climate changes.

The National Audubon website states: “The birds may abandon rookeries (nesting sites) or experience diminished reproductive success when disrupted, especially early in the breeding season.’    (click the ‘Conservation Status’ tab)

An article by The Birmingham News, dated December 28, 2011, states: “Society members would like to do something quickly. Herons typically build nests in January, according to so­ciety President Hans Paul.”

This conflicting information begs the question: Is now the best time to disturb the heron and other wildlife?

One Audubon group in Illinois has found a way to support nesting heron without reducing other species or causing great disturbance.  Through artificial trees or nesting platforms they have successfully provided support to their local heron. In 2010 twelve nesting sites were used.

The Birmingham Park and Recreation Board vote on the request was not unanimously in support. Commissioner Theodore L. Smith abstained.

In 1842 the United States Supreme Court determined that wildlife belongs to all citizens.  Wildlife does not belong to special interest, so-called conservation groups who would manage them for their own purposes.

Supporting one species does not require the detriment of another.

Nature, self-managed, shows us the intricate balance that is possible.

If you would like a more even-handed approach to supporting the wildlife at East Lake Park, please contact the  Birmingham Park and Recreation Board at 205-254-2391.

Zoo industry deserves significant scrutiny

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/opinion/guest_opinion/zoo-industry-deserves-significant-scrutiny/article_f230d02a-361e-11e1-bee5-001871e3ce6c.html

By the Tucson Weekly Editorial Board | Posted: Tuesday, January 3, 2012 8:23 am

If you’re visiting the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson anytime soon, don’t be surprised when the groan of earthmovers drowns out exotic bird calls or the lion’s grand roar.

This new rumbling is the sound of an institution at a crossroads.

Back around 2005, the zoo began raising money for an expansion of its elephant exhibit. This plea for cash carried a caveat: If the fund drive proved unsuccessful, two longtime companions – the Asian elephant Connie and her African counterpart Shaba – would need to be separated and dispatched to parts unknown. The potential tragedy of breaking their bond was routinely emphasized by zoo officials, to a broadly sympathetic community.

Nearly $10 million later (with about half of that money coming from taxpayers), construction is under way, despite these cash-strapped times. It’s unfortunate that those dollars weren’t spent on making the zoo a better place for animals that are better suited to a home at the Reid Park Zoo, which has limited resources and limited space.

But this new expansion has also sparked serious questions about zoo officials themselves: Did they deliberately manipulate public sentiment by emphasizing the bond between Connie and Shaba just to raise money?

It also brings into sharp focus the very ethics of holding these huge, wide-ranging animals in relatively minuscule enclosures. Adding insult, those same officials have now reversed themselves by dismissing the attachment between its two elephants – a bond that animal experts say is beyond doubt. They now plan to send Connie alone to the San Diego Zoo.

Meanwhile, the larger consequences of captivity are glaring. On average, zoo elephants tend to live half as long as their counterparts in the wild. They suffer chronic health problems such as arthritis, from being kept on concrete floors and not receiving sufficient exercise.

Then comes the profound upheaval of moving them – a particularly stressful prospect for aging elephants such as 44-year-old Connie.

Over that time, Connie certainly helped raise plenty of zoo revenues. But that hasn’t stopped plans to have her sent to San Diego. One former trainer not associated with the zoo predicts that the stress of this disruption could result in the deaths of both Connie and Shaba.

Ironically, this occurs at a time when similar zoos across the nation, such as those in San Francisco and Detroit, have humanely relinquished their elephants to sanctuaries.

“It’s becoming clear that the disparity between what elephants need and what they get in captivity is quite significant,” said Detroit zoo director Ron Kagan, explaining his decision to close the elephant exhibit.

Obviously, this issue goes far beyond Reid Park. Indeed, the transfer and breeding of these animals raises profoundly disturbing questions about the zoo industry itself, and the deeper motives of its accrediting group, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

As zoos around the country regularly become the targets of protesters, the AZA has taken several steps to protect its image. Paramount among them are highly touted efforts by the association and its members to promote wildlife conservation. This endeavor is highlighted by its Species Survival Plan, which emphasizes the breeding of threatened or endangered species within accredited facilities.

Yet to what end? Zoos such as the one in San Diego have undertaken aggressive breeding programs, and Reid Park may do likewise when its own new elephant herd arrives from San Diego. But animals bred in captivity are notoriously difficult to reintroduce to the wild. In fact, it appears that no elephants have ever been reintroduced. Instead, critics say, the SSP program is largely greenwash, with the primary goal of helping zoos to perpetuate themselves and their captive wildlife stock.

For instance, zoos drive up attendance by displaying so-called “charismatic” species such as elephants, ostensibly to raise money for wildlife conservation. Yet the AZA, with more than 200 accredited members, devotes a mere $90 million annually to conservation programs.

But in the end, it comes down to Connie and Shaba, two elephants that have spent decades side by side at the Reid Park Zoo. Contradicting their earlier emphasis on the bonding of this pair, zoo officials are now saying that separation is best for both – apparently in blind pursuit of the zoo’s breeding program.

In the process, however, those officials have violated the trust of this community. Even worse, they’ve shredded their commitment to Connie and Shaba.

(This editorial was originally published in the Dec. 29 edition of the Tucson Weekly, a sister publication of the Nogales International.)

Dec, 29, 2011

2011: A surprisingly good year for animals

By HEATHER MOORE / People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

These two dogs were discovered ‘placed’ in the fenced yard of  a couple coming home from work.

The couple cannot keep them as they already have two dogs.

The dogs appear in good condition and know basic commands such as ‘sit’ and ‘down.’

If you can help these ‘pups,’ the contact info is:

Stacey Gordon
Cell: 205-215-4107
stacey.gordon@childrensal.org

If you can’t help directly, please share the need for help with others.