• Animal Fighting – S. 736, to create felony level penalties for federal animal fighting crimes.

• Downed Animals – S. 1298, to prohibit the USDA certification of meat from animals who are too sick or injured to stand or walk unassisted.

• Canadian Seal Hunt – S. Res. 269, to urge the Canadian government to end its commercial seal hunt.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please contact your two U.S. Senators and ask them to cosponsor these important bills if they haven’t already done so. You might mention that the Humane Scorecard helps you assess how your legislators stand on key animal protection issues and you know these cosponsorships will be counted in 2004.

 

Please note: This week's call to action for the Scorecard rankings of U.S. Senators is different from, and complementary to, our previous request for calls to U.S. Reps regarding Scorecard issues (see HUMANElines Issue 314).

 

NO PROGRESS IN MASSIVE TIGER CRUELTY CASE
When the Riverside County District Attorney's office filed 63 charges against John Weinhart, the former proprietor of a tiger "rescue" facility in Riverside county, activists were hopeful for a swift and decisive prosecution in response to a horrifying situation for tigers discovered at Weinhart's home. However, since that time, hopes for a successful prosecution are dimming; although 16 felony animal cruelty charges were filed against Weinhart almost two years ago, to date there has been no meaningful progress in the case.  
 
The prosecuting attorney's apparently dismissive attitude toward the Weinhart case is particularly troubling because of the enormity of the cruelty involved.  When investigators arrived on Weinhart's property, they found it littered with the corpses of at least 90 tigers, including the bodies of 58 tiger cubs stuffed into freezers. One rescuer on the scene said, "I've never seen anything like this in my life and I hope with a little bit of luck, I never have to be exposed to anything like this again."
 
The Weinhart case illustrates yet another tragic aspect of exotic "pet" ownership. The growing demand for fad pets like tigers encourages unregulated, inhumane operations like the Weinhart's mis-named "Tiger Rescue" to sprout up to satisfy the market demand.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
We must speak up and tell the District Attorney's Office to take this case seriously and bring John Weinhart to justice. Tell them that animal cruelty is a serious crime, and you want to see this case aggressively prosecuted.  

 

While the court process lingers on, The Fund for Animals and many volunteers have been on-site at the now defunct "Tiger Rescue" pseudo-sanctuary every day for the last sixteen months. Most of the rescued tigers, leopards, and lions have been placed at accredited animal sanctuaries and zoos, but 22 tigers are still under the care of The Fund awaiting transport to their new home. Click here for more info.

 

CALIFORNIA SEALS NEED YOUR HELP:
Seals in La Jolla, California are in terrible danger because of a misjudgment by the La Jolla City Council and the federal government. Recently, the city council removed the protective barriers and signage surrounding "Children's Pool," a unique cove in which seals in La Jolla have been resting and raising their young for decades. The Children's Pool is possibly the only remaining suitable mainland rookery site in the area, and it provides visitors to La Jolla the unique opportunity to witness the natural behavior of these often elusive  marine mammals.

Since the City's decision in September to remove its protections, reports have been flowing in of frequent harassment of and injury to La Jolla's beloved seals.  According to one recent (unconfirmed) report, two young men deliberately cut a seal at the cove and drove away.  Other sightings of seals with deep wounds-- gashes inconsistent with natural injuries like shark bites-- have been reported at the rookery.

The seals of the Children's Pool are beloved in La Jolla by tourists and local residents alike.  A 1999 survey of local school children found that 9 to 1 they preferred to have seals on the beach rather than people.  Their decimation because of the City Council's actions would be a tragic loss.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Contact the National Marine Fisheries Service and La Jolla City Councilperson Scott Peters (who is responsible for this district in which the seals are being harmed). Ask them to put back the rope and signs and prevent people from harassing and harming the seals - and to develop a plan to designate this area as a protected seal reserve.
 

1. Cathy Campbell of the National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Regional Office at Phone: (562) 980-4060
   Email at Cathy.E.Campbell@noaa.gov 
   
    
2. Councilman Scott Peters
   Phone: (619) 236-6611
   Email: ScottPeters@sandiego.gov