Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Horses, dogs, and seals at the tipping point

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Campaign Update: Down to the Wire. A special message from HSUS President & CEO Wayne Pacelle

November 13, 2006

Wayne and Gracie HSUS President & CEO Wayne Pacelle, with Grace

A special message from HSUS

Dear T.,

Our campaigns to abolish horse slaughter, stop animal fighting, and end the Canadian seal hunt are all at critical stages. With Congress returning today for its “lame-duck” session, we have just a few days left to push key bills over the finish line to protect horses and dogs. We are so close on both! And Canada’s baby seals received some good and bad news over the past few weeks. On the heels of our historic Election Day victories for farm animals and mourning doves, I want to update you on what is happening right now:

Today is the National Call In Day to stop horse slaughter

Call Today to Save America's Horses

In 2006 alone, America’s three foreign-owned slaughterhouses have sent more than 100,000 American horses to dinner tables overseas. To end this cruel slaughter, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act on September 7. But the U.S. Senate has just days to pass its version of the bill before it adjourns for the year. Time is running out, and a tragic accident involving a trailer carrying horses to slaughter underscores the need for the Senate to act now.

Today is our National Call-In Day for Horses, and we must flood Senate offices with phone calls. Your calls and emails were instrumental in getting the bill through the House of Representatives and ready for Senate action. Thankfully, your two current U.S. Senators already cosponsor the bill, S. 1915, but I strongly encourage you to call them to say thank you and to urge them to work to pass the bill during this session. So please call Patty Murray at (202) 224-2621 and Maria Cantwell at (202) 224-3441 today -- or call the Congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Again, thank them for their cosponsorship and ask them to do everything they can to get the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act passed before the end of the year.

Urge Majority Leader John Boehner to end animal fighting

Urge the House to Clamp Down on Animal Fighters

Animal fighters involved in the brutal underground industry of dogfighting and cockfighting often make thousands of dollars in a single night. But when they illegally ship animals for fighting across state lines, a misdemeanor -- essentially a slap on the wrist -- is the only penalty they will possibly face.

The law must change, and the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act would make trafficking in fighting animals a felony, with stiffer penalties. The bill would also make it a crime to move cockfighting implements in interstate or foreign commerce. It's down to the wire for this bill, which passed the Senate unanimously but has been inexplicably bottled up in the House Judiciary Committee by Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI).

Please contact House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and urge him to bring this critical legislation, H.R. 817, to the floor for an up-or-down vote immediately. The bill is supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association, National Sheriffs' Association, and more than 400 state and local law enforcement agencies. It’s also co-sponsored by three quarters of the entire House, making the delay unconscionable. It’s time for the House of Representatives to pass this bill.

Update on Canada's cruel seal hunt

Stop Canada's Massive Seal Hunt

First, the good news: In a historic move, the European Union recently passed a declaration calling for a ban on all trade in harp and hooded seal products. This is a crucial step toward closing off one of the major markets for the Canadian commercial sealing industry. In addition, more than 330,000 consumers and more than 1,000 restaurants, grocery stores, and other seafood distributors have joined a boycott of Canadian seafood -- a boycott that we hope will show Canadian fishermen that they cannot afford to continue killing baby seals.

Now the bad news: Canada intends to place more restrictions on the legal and peaceful observation of the commercial seal hunt in 2007. The Canadian government knows the horrific images of this hunt are closing markets for Canadian seal products and Canadian seafood around the world -- and that is why it is determined to stop observers from filming the seal hunt. But these cynical attempts to conceal cruelty will fail. If the 2007 seal hunt goes ahead, our ProtectSeals team will be there to show the world what the Canadian government is so desperate to hide. With your help, we will end the barbaric hunt forever.

Thank you for taking action today, and for all you do for animals.

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

P.S. I have updates for you on our other major campaigns, too. Click to read the latest from our Factory Farming, Hunting Issues, Fur-Free, and Animal Cruelty and Fighting
campaigns.


Copyright 2006 © The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) | All Right Reserved.
The Humane Society of the United States | 2100 L Street, NW | Washington, DC 20037
Humanesociety@hsus.org | 202-452-1100 | www.hsus.org

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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