www.aksuperstation.com

Where do you think Maggie the elephant should live?

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

Urge Officials to Spare Virginia's Bears

The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is getting set to hold a cruel hunt in which as many as twenty bears will be killed in the name of recreation. This hunt is not taking place to curb overpopulation, nor is it to protect members of the public. It is simply to appease hunters' blood thirst and it's just not right.

According to The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and the Nansemond National Wildlife Refuge Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan, "The main purpose of the hunt is to add a priority wildlife-dependent recreational opportunity for the public. There are limited public hunting opportunities in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. By implementing a bear hunt an additional 200 hunting days will be provided to the area."

Please "take action" to urge The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine to call off the hunt. Also, please tell a friend and take a moment to sign our petition to Governor Kaine.

Then download your letters and fax or mail to the addresses indicated below.

Governor Timothy Kaine
Office of the Governor, 14th Floor
One Capitol Square, 830 E. Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Tel.: (804) 786-2211
Fax: (804) 371-6351
http://www.governor.virginia.gov/
Please click here for the online feedback form.

Suzanne Baird, Refuge Manager
The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
3100 Desert Road
Suffolk, Virginia 23434
Tel.: (757) 986-3705
greatdismalswamp@fws.gov 

Marvin Moriarty, Regional Director
Northeast Regional Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA 01035-9589
Tel.: (413) 253-8200
Fax: (413) 253-8308
northeast@fws.gov

 [ send green star]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/237370630

HE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIMSELF!

 [ send green star]

Several companies are catching bats in the wild and killing them for sale as “art” in glass frames. One small bat, also known as the Short-nosed fruit bat, is a major target of this cruel practice. The fruit bat is an important pollinator and seed dispenser, and has a status of vulnerable.

Bats already face severe threats due to habitat loss. Killing additional bats for personal collections only leads to further decline of wild bat populations.

Fruit and nectar-eating bats are responsible for hundreds of economically important products including foods, drinks, medicines, timber, fibers, dyes and fuel. Wild varieties of many of the world’s most economically valuable crop plants, such as bananas, rely on bats for survival. Insect eating bat species are natural enemies of night-flying pests that damage crops, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

Unless eBay can verify that bats sold on the eBay website have been collected after they have died naturally, eBay should protect bats by prohibiting the sale of their bodies.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/396498055

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

Polar bears are sensitive to disruptions. New drilling could cause mothers to abandon their cubs to die. Help us raise $20,000 by September 15.

Amount raised:
$2,954.00Amount needed:
$20,000.00

 [ send green star]

COPIED FROM ANOTHER GROUP POST!

No more Polar Bears for tropical Singapore Zoo 
SINGAPORE: September 8, 2006 SINGAPORE - The Singapore Zoo is looking for a new home for its male polar bear and will no longer bring animals from the North or South Poles to tropical Singapore, an official said. Zoo director Fanny Lai told Reuters on Thursday that Inuka, a 16-year-old polar bear born in Singapore Zoo, will be moved to a zoo in a temperate climate and that Singapore has told the Rostock Zoo in Germany -- which keeps track of all captive polar bears in the world -- that Inuka is available for transfer. She denied the planned move was in response to a local animal rights group's campaign "What's a Polar Bear Doing in The Tropics?", adding that the Singapore zoo had decided to focus on being a rainforest zoo. "You can't keep an Arctic animal in an open-air enclosure in the tropics," Animal Concerns Research and Education Society president Louis Ng told Reuters. The zoo said the bears have an air-conditioned den and misting fans. Inuka, the first polar bear born in the tropics, will only be moved after the death of his 29-year-old mother Sheba, who will not be moved because she is too old. Polar bears in captivity have an average life span of 25 years.

 [ send green star]

 Tony Martin

Wandering Albatrosses have a 3 metre wingspan and can live to more than 60

31-08-2006

The RSPB, the BirdLife Partner in the UK, is launching a multi-media advertising campaign to raise the plight of albatrosses and increase RSPB membership under the banner Once extinct, you can only imagine.

19 of the world’s 21 species of albatross are threatened with extinction, mainly because of the unsustainable numbers killed by longline fishing activites.

“Few people realise just how active the RSPB is as a conservation charity, both in the UK and around the world, says Jonathan Wright, RSPB Brand Marketing Manager.

“We need to change minds to help save the albatross.” —Jonathan Wright, RSPB Marketing Manager

Chris Arnold, Executive Creative Director at BLAC, the agency running the campaign added: “We asked schoolchildren what they thought an albatross was, what it ate, looked and sounded like. The answers we got were highly imaginative. The trouble is, if we don’t act to save these majestic birds, our children will never see a real one and can only imagine. What started out as research turned into a powerful creative idea.”

Running in and around the UK’s capital, London, the campaign uses the latest advertising technology, including bluecasting, and targets children and urban charity supporters.

"Once extinct, you can only imagine" features a series of eye-opening and imaginative interviews with children, and includes posters, press, TV commercials, direct mail and door drop literature. Short commercials will also appear on transvision screens in key London stations—the first time a charity has used bluecasting—and work by renowned artist Quentin Blake will also feature.

A website, which aims to collect 100,000 signatures—one for every albatross needlessly killed on a longline each year—has been established at http://www.onceextinct.com/

from: http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2006/08/once_extinct.html

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

Your comments are needed on a proposal by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to obtain a permit from the federal government to kill fully endangered wolves. While ODFW's intended use of the permit is to kill only those wolves that have killed livestock, the permit ODFW wishes to obtain was not intended for this purpose. ODFW has submitted an application to the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFW, and it is that federal agency that is now seeking public comments on whether the permit should be granted. Your comments should therefore be directed to USFWS (not ODFW)

A public comment period is now underway, with comments due September 11th. The public comment period has already been open for a few weeks, but we wanted to better evaluate ODFW's proposal in the context of similar actions in other states and in light of a very recent federal court decision on this issue, before sending you this alert and assessment.

***********************************************************

PARTICIPATE IN A POLL THAT’S TAKING PLACE RIGHT NOW

On the heels of the above alert, comes additional news that could impact the potential for wolf recovery in Oregon and Washington and Utah.

We've just learned the US Fish and Wildlife Service will soon issue a proposal to remove federal protections for wolves in Montana, Idaho, and portions of Oregon, Washington and Utah. (They filed an advanced proposal earlier this spring and will now be issuing a formal proposal in the near future.)

The proposal would remove federal protections in this region even though the state of Wyoming has not yet come up with an acceptable wolf conservation plan, and even though the federal government has said all along they could not remove federal protections in the three northern Rockies States of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming until ALL had reached recovery goals and ALL had acceptable wolf plans.

If Idaho loses federal protections, the state intends to reduce the packs in its state from the 59 packs it currently has down to the 10-15 pack minimum set by the federal government for that state. This would be a horrendous blow for Idaho's wolf population and for recovery efforts over the past decade. And if Idaho's pack numbers become so greatly reduced, the chances of Idaho wolves dispersing into and recolonizing Oregon or Washington or Utah are unlikely.

Please go to the link in the WHAT YOU CAN DO section of this page to participate in a poll that's taking place right now by a major Idaho newspaper. The poll will not decide federal policy but it will help inform the media about how citizens feel on this issue. Please take the poll and indicate you OPPOSE delisting before Wyoming has an approved wolf plan.

I. WHAT YOU CAN DO:

In your Comment letter you must refer to either "Oregon Wolf Permit Analysis" or to "Permit No. TE-122636". Please send written comments by mail or fax only to the USFWS at the following address or fax number:

By Mail:
Chief, Endangered Species Issues, Ecological Services
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
911 N.E. 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97232-4181

By Fax:
(503) 231-6243

YOUR COMMENTS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 11th, 2006, SO PLEASE WRITE NOW.

COMMENTS CANNOT BE SENT BY EMAIL – THEY MUST BE SENT BY U.S. MAIL OR BY FAX SO PLEASE WRITE NOW.

TALKING POINTS

Please use the below talking points for guidance only. You MUST write your comments in your own words and you must convey to the USFWS your personal viewpoint on whether the USFWS should grant ODFW a 10(a)(1)(A) permit. If you simply lift this language and insert it into your letter, the USFWS will view your letter more or less as a form letter. Please take the time to write in your own words:

- The 10(a)(1)(A) permit is not intended under the law to be used to kill fully endangered animals for causing livestock depredations. This permit is intended to "enhance the conservation of the species".

- Oregon does not yet even have a wolf population and it is not appropriate to start issuing permits to kill the first recolonizing wolves.

- The Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan contains many tools short of lethal control to address situations where wolves are coming into conflict with livestock – it is in the interests of the state and of wolf conservation to emphasize these tools.

Thank you all for your continued support of wolf recovery for the Pacific west – your comments on these federal notices really DO count. It is critical that we continue to create a record to the USFWS that folks in the Pacific west believe the USFWS has a duty to protect and continue to recover wolves in this region.

http://www.siskiyou.org/issues/biodiversity/Wolf_Oregon.cfm

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/791053249

Target: U.S. Dept of the Interior
Sponsor: See Full Petition

Email this Petition

As soon as September 27, a very special wild place could be sold to the oil and gas industry – unless we act now!

One of the most important wetland complexes in the Arctic, the Teshekpuk Lake region is essential habitat for millions of birds and tens of thousands of caribou. It is also a stunning sweep of landscape, remarkable even in Alaska where a grand scale is the only scale.

Together, we can get the Interior Department to do the only sensible thing: cancel the September 27 sale of this precious public land.

The sale is imminent! Act quickly before it's too late! Sign this petition to stop the sale of the Teshekpuk Lake region.

 [ send green star]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/925517279

We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:

SAVE THE BALD EAGLES AND THE WETLANDS OF THE MOOSEHORN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

Target: Major General Don T. Riley, Directory of Civil Works, US Army Corps of Engineers
Sponsor: See Full Petition

Email this Petition

Save the Bald Eagles, migratory birds, turtles and other wildlife of the Magurrewock Wetlands from destruction! Don't allow special intrest groups to build a 4-lane highway through the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge!

 [ send green star]

Have you ever thought about what you—and the millions of other tourists who travel abroad every year—are really bringing back with you from your vacation?

I’m writing on behalf of IFAW to alert you to one of the most serious problems threatening wildlife today—a problem you might have even participated in without knowing it.

Each year, customs officers seize thousands of wildlife items from travelers, many of them tourist souvenirs made from endangered or threatened species. Examples include elephant ivory carvings and jewelry, tortoise and turtle shell accessories, big cat skins, reptile skin handbags, belts and shoes, porcupine quill coasters and lampshades, coral and shells, and many more.

Sadly, many tourists buying souvenirs made from wildlife have no idea that they have done anything wrong, often because these items are sold openly in resorts, airports, shops and markets—masking the bloody truth behind the wildlife trinkets being sold.

Please Join Me in Signing the Pledge to “Think Twice”: Don’t Buy Wildlife Souvenirs

It is often illegal to bring wildlife souvenirs home with you, particularly those made from the most threatened species such as elephants and marine turtles. Other wildlife such as porcupines and sharks, although not prohibited from international trade, are often cruelly and widely hunted to make a necklace, coaster or picture frame: ironically to remind people of their wonderful wildlife experience.

A recent investigation by IFAW in South Africa—a popular holiday destination—demonstrates the extent of the problem. IFAW researchers discovered a thriving trade in wildlife souvenirs, including ivory carvings, porcupine quills and sharks’ teeth, many of which are being sold illegally to tourists.

What else can you do?

Spend your money wisely on your vacation by buying alternative mementos that directly benefit local people of the areas you visit, such as non-animal handicrafts, instead of items that harm the wildlife you are there to see.

Please also help IFAW spread the word to others—advise your friends and family to “Think Twice” when on their vacations, and then call your local travel agents and ask them to do the same. (Travel agents can click here to request materials from IFAW.

If you don’t buy—they won’t die!

Yours sincerely,
Arnold Vosloo
Actor

P.S. To learn more about how wildlife souvenirs that threaten endangered animals are ending up in the living rooms of unsuspecting travelers, visit www.ifaw.org/us/thinktwice.

 Arnold Vosloo, actor and IFAW supporter.Sign the Think Twice Pledge

 [ send green star]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/790810093

"The Fur Products Labeling Act requires that any garment made of fur list the type of animals used and the country in which the animals were killed. However, a loophole in the law exempts garments made with up to $150 worth of fur from being labeled.

This is bad news for consumers because without proper labeling, they don't know whether a product contains real fur or faux fur – particularly when today's processing techniques can make it nearly impossible for a person to tell the difference.

And it’s not just scraps—animals are killed specifically for fur trim, which is commonly exempt under the loophole. What’s more, with rabbit pelts valued at as little as $5, an unlabeled garment can easily contain fur from multiple animals.

U.S. Representatives Mike Ferguson (R-NJ) and Jim Moran (D-VA) have introduced H.R. 4904, The Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2006, which would close this loophole. This bill would also be an added layer of protection against any illegal dog and cat fur coming into the country as trim on unlabeled garments.

Help give consumers the right to make informed choices about whether or not to wear fur. Join the Humane Society of the United States in urging your representatives to co-sponsor the Truth in Fur Labeling Act!"

 [ send green star]

Ontario delays further action on caribou

Tell the Ontario government that time is running out for woodland caribou!

The Ontario government is deciding on a strategy for the future of woodland caribou. All the while, it promotes industrial activities in critical caribou habitat and delays taking the necessary steps to protect this species.

Take action now! Urge Premier McGuinty to take immediate steps to protect the intact boreal forests that caribou rely upon to survive and thrive.

Send a letter to the Ontario government

Find out more about woodland caribou

Read a Toronto Star article on the threat to Ontario's caribou

 [ send green star]

 http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/SF_Natural_Areas?rk=SpA8gN713RyTE

 [ send green star]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/664280276

"We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:

Don't Let Idaho Kill Endangered Wolves

Target: Fish and Wildlife Service
Sponsor: See Full Petition

Email this Petition

Hundreds of wolves are at risk in Idaho, where in 2001 legislators passed a measure calling for the elimination of wolves "by any means necessary." The State has recently asked for permission to kill up to 75% of the wolves within the Lolo District of Clearwater National Forest and in an area where they are now protected as an endangered species. And, they want to repeat the slaughter in the Lolo District every year for the next five years.

Most unsettling is that Idaho would like to kill 3 out of 4 wolves regardless of the wolves' history of interaction with humans and livestock. That means that wolves that have never done anything to harm livestock or people could be killed.

Once hunted, trapped and poisoned to extinction in Idaho, wolves have made a remarkable recovery. An estimated 512 wolves, including 36 breeding packs, are a critical part of Idaho's ecosystems. And, contrary to anti-wolf extremists' claims, the wolves are not a significant threat to livestock or game populations.

Help us stop anti-wolf extremists and save the wolves – Urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to deny Idaho's request to kill wolves."

               

 [ send green star]

http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/careerbuilder_abuse


The Breaking Point
It is a common practice at training facilities to introduce young chimpanzees to their new jobs and masters by conducting what the industry calls "breaking the spirit." Normal, healthy young chimpanzees are naturally playful, curious, energetic, and mischievous, but these traits don't make them good "actors." So they are subject to repeated episodes of beating and other painful acts of cruelty. Sarah Baeckler, a chimpanzee expert who volunteered at Malibu's Amazing Animal Actors training compound, expressed horror over the needless violence she witnessed every day. "The trainers physically abuse the chimpanzees for various reasons, but often for no reason at all," she said. "If the chimpanzees try to run away from a trainer, they are beaten. If they bite someone, they are beaten. If they don't pay attention, they are beaten. Sometimes they are beaten without any provocation or for things that are completely out of their control ๏ฟฝ I was specifically instructed to hit or kick them at the first sign of any aggression or misbehavior."
Cruel Intentions
Animal trainers will use any means necessary to force their victims to perform. Punching and kicking are everyday occurrences, and serious beatings aren't given a second thought. A volunteer at Amazing Animal Actors, one of the five major chimpanzee training facilities that supplies Hollywood, heard trainers say these horrible things about the chimpanzees being held there:

- "Hit them hard enough that they know you mean business but not so hard that you do permanent damage."

- "Aim for her head because it's really sturdy."

- "Kick her in the face as hard as you can. You can't hurt her."

- "If you need to hit her, use this [referring to the handle end of the hammer]."

- "Don't be afraid to just hit her."

The trainers' actions were even crueler than their words. The volunteer talked about witnessing these abusive events:

- "The trainer demonstrated for me: she made a fist and punched Sable in the head with her right hand, just above her left eye. Sable screamed and jumped tighter into my arms, no longer squirming. The trainer had to wave her hand like this to shake off the pain--she had hit Sable that hard."

- "I witnessed trainers punching her in the back, kicking her in the head, and throwing objects at her including a rock, a mallet, and a sawed-off broom handle."

- "I saw a volunteer ask the compound director how to get Cody to stand up, and the director grabbed Cody's ear and forced him to stand by pulling his ear sharply until Cody screamed in pain."

- "The director grabbed Cody by his lower lip, pulled him forward, and then pushed him down until he was lying on his back. Again, Cody screamed and whimpered in response. I saw volunteers and trainers hit Cody on the head with a lock, take a full windup and punch him in the back, kick him in the head, and hit him with a blunt instrument known as 'the ugly stick.'"

- "I watched as the compound director started punching Apollo repeatedly with all his strength, throwing his whole body into each punch."

- "A trainer punched Apollo in the face and then pinned him against the fence with his knee."

- "The director hit Apollo three times with a broom handle, first winding up and hitting him with something akin to a baseball swing, and then whacking Apollo twice at close range and really hard."

"Abuse and physical violence are seemingly commonplace in this industry, and it's not even a secret," the volunteer said. "In fact, it's taught in a training school that is currently producing many future animal trainers and zoo workers."

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

Tell the Ontario government that time is running out for woodland caribou!

The Ontario government is deciding on a strategy for the future of woodland caribou. All the while, it promotes industrial activities in critical caribou habitat and delays taking the necessary steps to protect this species.

Take action now! Urge Premier McGuinty to take immediate steps to protect the intact boreal forests that caribou rely upon to survive and thrive.

Send a letter to the Ontario government

Find out more about woodland caribou

Read a Toronto Star article on the threat to Ontario's caribou

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

The Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, California has been keeping Bill, the chimpanzee, in solitary confinement for years. He is imprisoned in a tiny cement cell and the City of Eureka refuses to let him go to a sanctuary where he can be with other chimpanzees and run on grass and swing on trees. Please demand the Eureka City Council to do the right and humane thing and let Bill go to a chimpanzee sanctuary where he can enjoy life. He must not be allowed to continue to languish in and eventually die a lonely death in his cell.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/902584609

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

Ban Canned Hunting in Lousiana

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/can_canned-hunting/

Please stop lions from being killed in canned Hunts

http://www.careforthewild.org/ways_to_help.asp?detail=true&I_ID=179

Crack down on Canned Hunts

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/243034308

Protect Big Cats – End Internet Canned Hunts

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/422394638

Federal-Petition to Prohibit Canned Hunts and Impose penalties for violations.

http://www.e-legislativeaction.com/federal/canned_hunts/canned_hunts_petition.htm

Ban canned lion hunting.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/842248180

Save Frida, a lion cub from canned hunts.

http://www.leulfrida.ro/save-eng.php

Ban canned hunting. Slaughtering our animals.

http://bancannedhunt.org/Petition.html

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

Iain C.

Sumatran Tiger murdered, please sign my petition!

 
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/359988560

Please take a couple of minutes to read and sign my petition about Enshala the Sumatran tiger who was shot 4 times with a 12 gauge shotgun by Lex Salisbury the CEO of Lowry Park Zoo. This killing was totally unnecessary. Please support me! 

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

It’s time to hold ExxonMobil responsible for putting corporate profits over protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat. Join Defenders of Wildlife in urging ExxonMobil to clean up its act.

https://secure2.convio.net/dow/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=271

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]

If you can not read this message for any reason, you can view it online now...

 [ send green star]

 [ accepted]