"Plucky the chicken dies after dog attack; Family fighting to ease Waltham’s pet regulations" by Jessica Rudis, Globe Correspondent | March 13, 2010
Plucky, the pet chicken that sparked a debate on poultry ownership in Waltham, will not be around to see the city’s zoning laws made more fowl-friendly.
The hen died last month after a dog belonging to a family friend attacked her, puncturing her neck, the chicken’s owner said yesterday.
“At first we thought she was just in shock, and we rushed her to the vet,’’ Sharan Hawkes said. “She was having trouble breathing.’’
Hawkes’s youngest daughter, Caroline, stayed in the veterinarian’s office with her beloved pet until it died.
The loss has hit the Hawkes family hard. Plucky came into their lives a year and a half ago when Sharan Hawkes’s husband, John, found the chicken wandering around in front of their home.
I truly mourn the loss of life of all God's creatures, readers.
There is enough death and killing in this world.
She became the family pet, living in a coop in the backyard of the Dix Street home.
And the Hawkes family launched an effort to change Waltham’s zoning regulations to allow homeowners to keep one chicken as a pet.
Since then, the measure has been tabled by the City Council’s Ordinances and Rules Committee and would expire in mid-April if no action is taken, according to the city clerk’s office.
Hawkes said she will continue to push for the change. She is doing more research and has spoken to health officials in surrounding communities that allow people to own chickens.
If the measure does pass, the family intends to buy another pet chicken.
“In Plucky’s name we’re going to continue this,’’ she said.
--more--"Related:
Buddy, a pet rooster, enjoys a car ride
Cock-a-doodle-doo, right?
Must be hell in the morning.
Oh, the horror these smart animals must have felt.
"In Wellfleet, a dolphin drama; Rescuers struggle to help 16 animals stuck in mud; 6 moved offshore" by Travis Andersen, Globe Staff | March 12, 2010
Sixteen dolphins became mired in mud in marshland areas in Wellfleet yesterday, prompting a major rescue effort as hopes faded for saving most of them, according to an animal welfare group....
Ten Atlantic white-sided dolphins, which grow to about 9 feet long and weigh some 400 pounds, were trapped in Drummer’s Cove and six were stuck at Lieutenant Island, where one was dead when rescuers arrived....
Rescuers released six dolphins around 7:15 last night in Provincetown, after medical evaluations. A.J. Cady, deputy director of the Yarmouth Port-based International Fund for Animal Welfare, said prospects appeared bleak for the dolphins that were still trapped, though workers hoped last evening’s high tide would push them out to sea....
--more--"Related: On the beach, a saving race
"8 dolphins strand on Cape Cod
Five stranded dolphins have been pulled off mud flats around Wellfleet Harbor on Cape Cod and rescuers are hoping to retrieve a sixth after the animals apparently got stuck during low tide. Chris Cutter, a spokesman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said Friday that eight Atlantic white-sided dolphins were found in the mud Friday. Two were dead when the group's rescue team arrived. The group rescued nine of 16 dolphins that stranded at Wellfleet two weeks ago. Some were tagged before they were released and Cutter said none of Friday's animals appear to be from that pod. Cutter said dolphin strandings are common on Cape Cod and it's "still a mystery" why.
Navy sonar screwing with their signals?
Yeah, it's a "mystery."
--more--"
Related: Tagging along with great whites
"DA cites cost of appealing duck ruling
The Bristol district attorney says that because of budget constraints, his office will not appeal a judge’s decision nullifying the conviction of a man who was accused of running over a mother duck leading her ducklings through a mall parking lot.
And he was LAUGHING will doing it?
FLASHBACK:
"Acushnet man charged with killing duck released on personal recognizance
Police and witness statements who say Linhares laughed and sped away seconds after he ran over the duck.... A woman who was stopped at the intersection near where the incident occurred said Linhares smiled at her, then sharply turned his vehicle and sped directly at the ducks.... As Linhares drove by after the incident, the woman said he smiled and laughed. He left the parking lot, even though witnesses were yelling at him to stop....
A store surveillance video, which appeared to corroborate the witness statements that Linhares smiled and laughed as he drove off.... After the incident, the security officer walked outside to the parking lot and gathered the 12 ducklings and their dead mother into a box.
I'm having a hard time keeping a grip on myself right now.
I know they are "only" animals and not people, but do you not think they feel pain?
Can't sense their mommy is dead?
According to Dartmouth Animal Control, the mother mallard had been nestling for at least five years in a retention pond behind BJ's and Home Depot at the Dartmouth Town Center. Every spring, traffic on Faunce Corner Road would halt as the mother led her ducklings down the ramp from Sears and across the road to the Paskamansett River.
Never again (sob)!
And he even looks Jewish!
--more--"
And ONCE AGAIN a JEW GETS SPECIAL TREATMENT from the COURTS, huh?
Related: The Ugly Duckling (and Other Bedtime Stories)
“If this was a different time, we would appeal this decision in a heartbeat,’’ District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter said in a statement yesterday. “But the reality is that my office is dealing with a $700,000 cut during this fiscal year to its budget and we are down seven positions due to those cuts.’’
How about an eye for an eye then?
I'll drive!
--more--"
"Finches are latest victim of gambling rings; Animal advocates say bird-fighting practice is spreading" by Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | February 21, 2010
In Brazil, gamblers have traditionally exploited the South American songbird’s aggressive nature for competitive cage fights, and now the blood sport has come to Massachusetts....
Please, no.
Related: Animals From B to Z
Yeah, thanks for bringing that "sport" up here.
Authorities believe it may be connected to a broader bird-fighting ring that extends to Connecticut, where last summer police arrested 19 men and seized 150 birds in a house raid that drew national attention. All the men were originally from Brazil, and five lived in Framingham and Marlborough.
See: Mass. Migration: What's the Difference Between a Brazilian and Dominican?
I guess the birds came with them.
Known as canary fighting, the practice was common in Brazil until it was outlawed some 20 years ago, Brazilian-Americans and police say.
As it should be!!!
Since the raid, Ashland police have begun investigating several new reports of potential gambling operations, and statewide animal protection groups have also received complaints. Authorities suspect the practice may be furtively gaining popularity....
What a BARBARIC DISGRACE!!!
I mean, LOOK AT THIS MAGNIFICENT CREATURE!
A saffron finch was one of many confiscated from a house in Ashland last weekend. (Matthew J. Lee/ Globe Staff)
To MISTREAT IT SO brings tears to my eyes!!!
More than 20 men were at the Ashland home last Saturday, all Brazilian natives who were here illegally, Greg Fawkes, a sergeant with the Ashland Police Department, said.
Then send them back, but LEAVE the BIRDS HERE!
Most would not provide their names and said they knew nothing about the birds. They were not arrested but some were detained by immigration officials to determine their status....
Breeders said male saffron finches are naturally combative when confronted with a rival, but are otherwise sweet creatures “bred for their beauty,’’ said Ron McGilvray, a canary and finch breeder in Spencer. “This is just despicable,’’ he said....
I totally agree.
When saffron finches fight in the wild, they have room to retreat, making their confrontations less deadly, specialists said. Finches typically live five to nine years, and their aggressive nature never wanes.
Other Brazilian-Americans said the fights continue on the sly in their homeland, but until now had never heard about fights being staged in the Boston area. Most doubt the practice is widespread.
“I really don’t think so,’’ said Marcony Almeida, a Everett resident who works closely with Brazilian immigrants. “Everyone’s been talking about it, and everyone’s surprised to find out it’s going on here.’’
In Ashland, police also found large carrying cases with separate compartments designed to transport eight birds. The birds were all alive but extremely malnourished.
Probably makes them fight harder, right?
It's the same thing they do to the dogs to make them chase that fake rabbit.
“Some are not in good shape,’’ said Alan Borgal, who directs the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s Center for Animal Protection. “But I think the prognosis is good.’’
Since the media coverage of last Saturday’s raid, the rescue league has received six complaints from people who spotted neighbors carrying a large number of small birds into their homes, he said.
Over the years, Borgal has encountered a number of exotic forms of animal-based gambling, even fish fighting.
WTF?
Can't just go catch 'em with a hook?
Still, finches caught him by surprise, he said.
“I thought finch fighting was an old wives’ tale,’’ he said. “But I guess I was wrong.’’--more--"
Appalling.
So which course is he served?
"Not all the pretty horses come home; Maine farm plays role in export to Canada slaughterhouses" by Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff | March 8, 2010
VASSALBORO, Maine - Spread over a couple of hundred acres here, a bucolic mix of pasture and woodland forms a picturesque home for a century-old family business that provides horses and saddlery to families, summer camps, and riding schools.
But proprietor Brenda Hemphill, who is called a “kill buyer’’ by critics, is also an unapologetic businesswoman who ships horses to Quebec to be slaughtered for human consumption, primarily in Europe.
Well, at least they are being put to good use (food); however, MEAT-EATING IS NOT NECESSARY to be a healthy person!!!!
Hemphill said her business provides an alternative for horse owners who can no longer afford their animals’ upkeep or find them a suitable home.
“It’s common sense,’’ Hemphill explained. “People need to make money.’’
Killing horses for food, a thing of the past in the United States, has continued in the slaughterhouses of Canada as the economy has led more people to abandon their horses. Now, with new horsemeat restrictions set to take effect in Europe July 31, critics expect to see horse traffic pick up through New England - and farms like Hemphill’s - en route to the two slaughterhouses in Quebec.
“People are trying to get as many killed as possible before the mallet comes down,’’ said Dr. Nicholas Dodman, director of the animal behavior clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. “This is not going to starving people. It’s going to the plates of gourmets in the Champs Elysees.’’
Have you ever been around a horse, readers?
Well, I have. They are incredible creatures who deserve respect, not the slaughterhouse.
They are SO MAJESTIC that I REFUSE to RIDE THEM!!!
How would YOU like someone riding on YOUR BACK??
Yeah, I know the horse tolerates it, but he (or she) doesn't have to!!!
The low-fat, high-protein meat, observers said, can reach prices up to $20 a pound.
The new European restrictions, intended to keep sick or drugged animals from the food chain, will require horses bound for slaughter to have detailed medical and drug records or be quarantined for six months - regulations that could severely curtail the trade to Canada. Currently, those requirements do not exist and horses that have been injected with painkillers and steroids can enter the market with little or no oversight, Dodman said.
Another reason to not eat meat.
Farms that buy horses for slaughter rarely advertise openly. Instead, most horses that are bound for the meat market are purchased at large auctions, where buyers for slaughter often outbid others who want the horses for recreation or labor, Dodman said.
Hemphill did not provide sales figures for a business she acknowledged “is a topic that no one’s comfortable with.’’ She also did not discuss the origins of the horses she sends to slaughter and conceded that she depends on the seller to be honest about an animal’s drug history.
That opening, Dodman said, is potentially harmful for people who eat meat that might come from racehorses, which are routinely medicated to enhance their competitive performance. “How can we allow this to be shipped abroad?’’ Dodman asked.
“These animals are never treated as food animals their entire lives,’’ said Nancy Perry, vice president for government affairs at the Human Society of the United States. “In the course of being used as carriage horses, or show horses, or race horses, there are drugs and steroids given to them that are prohibited in animals for use for human consumption.’’
Hemphill, whose farm is the only one in Maine that state officials said ships horses to slaughter, stressed that the business is partly a response to tough economic times in which horse owners, facing monthly feeding bills of about $300 per horse, feel forced to give up animals they can no longer afford.
But banks get bailouts and wars are funded forever, sob!
During the first 11 months of last year, 48,452 horses were exported from the United States to Canada for slaughter, according to Canadian government figures. That total is a jump from 42,318 for all of 2008, and a huge leap from the 32,452 for all of 2007.
OH MY!!
ALL THOSE UNIQUE and SENTIENT SOULS!!!
In Massachusetts, an unprecedented number of horses are being surrendered to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The MSPCA accepted 69 horses in 2009 and is on pace to match or top that record this year, said Brian Adams, spokesman for the society.
Related: What to do With the Horses
There are no data to track how many slaughtered horses come from Massachusetts, but critics said the trade touches every part of the country. Surrendered horses are “a serious concern across the United States, because in many parts of the US, horses are just abandoned,’’ said Jon Olson, executive director of the Maine Farm Bureau Horse Council.
Sometimes I think they would be better off in the wild.
Would you want your spirit broken, American (if it hasn't been already)?
Hemphill, who also buys and sells horses for a variety of benign uses, points out that the surplus horses must go somewhere. Allowing them to starve to death is not preferable to the slaughterhouse, she argued.
You know, I say how much it costs to feed and care for them and we have plenty of money for banks, war-looters, favored corporations, etc, etc, etc.
How about a BAILOUT for Mr. Ed, huh?
“There’s a very clean, quiet, easy way to do this,’’ Hemphill said. She added that she sends to the slaughterhouse only the animals “that we did not think we could train, heal, or educate. . . . If a horse is not usable, that’s a different story.’’
But to Carole-Terese Naser of nearby Palermo, no horse should be killed for food. In 2007, Naser bought six horses from Hemphill that Naser said had been bound for the slaughterhouse. Once animals go there, critics said, the protocol often is to stun the horses, hang them by the hooves, and cut their necks.
I couldn't do it. No way.
“I see horses in the same league as I see dogs and cats,’’ said Naser, who keeps two of the horses she got from Hemphill on her 16-acre farm. “From beginning to end, there’s nothing about this that’s OK with me.’’
Or ANY LIFE FORM for that matter!!
I don't even feel good about killing insects, readers.
Sometimes it must be done, but I feel terrible about it!
Don't THEY have just as much a right to life as WE DO?
To Naser and other activists, horses should be treated strictly as the companions, entertainment, and source of labor they have been for millennia throughout the world.
Reminds me of "Animal Farm."
One of the six horses Naser bought, a bay gelding, was adopted by the actress Priscilla Presley, who keeps the animal at her late husband’s Graceland estate. Horses are on earth “for a reason, and it certainly wasn’t to slaughter them,’’ Presley said of the tens of thousands of horses that are surrendered each year. “We have to come up with another solution. This is just so inhumane.’’
She is a GOOD GIRL!!
You should be looking down (up?) with pride, Elvis!!
At Hemphill’s farm, however, business is business, and she contends slaughter is sometimes the most merciful end for a lame or broken-down animal.
Maybe you wouldn't mind someone using it on you then, huh?
“What’s the best outcome for a horse?’’ Hemphill said. “That’s where I’m coming from.’’
DEATH is the BEST OUTCOME?
Only in AmeriKa!
Also see: Hay is For Horses
"US says sea turtles endangered; Loggerheads on the decline" by John M. Guilfoil, Globe Staff | March 11, 2010
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed yesterday that loggerhead sea turtles be considered an endangered species throughout much of the world, including the North Pacific and Northwest Atlantic oceans.
In the Northwest Atlantic, the turtles have seen a nesting decline of 40 percent in the past decade. In the North Pacific, populations are down about 80 percent, and specialists fear that the turtles are on the brink of extinction. Scientists first petitioned the government in 2007 to change the turtles’ “threatened’’ status to “endangered.’’
*****************
With the endangered declaration, advocates hope the government will designate critical habitats for the turtles, especially on their nesting beaches, which on the East Coast usually stretch from Virginia to Florida. This would place a special conservation and management status on such beaches. But the biggest threat to the turtles has been the danger of getting caught up in fishing gear.
Of course!
These are the MAN-MADE DISASTERS, not the fart-misting fraud!
If adopted, the endangered status would press the fishing industry to take steps such as installing “turtle exclusion devices’’ in their nets, which would allow the animals to escape.
Yeah, the MILES-LONG, INDUSTRIAL DRIFT NETS that PULL OUT EVERYTHING in their path are the PROBLEMS, not the traditional fisherman!!
“They get caught up in nets, and in some countries they’re illegally [captured and] killed,’’ said Connie Barclay, a spokeswoman for the NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. “Fishermen are being very proactive and are becoming even more so.’’
Marine scientist Elizabeth Griffin of Oceana, an environmental advocacy group based in Washington, expressed concern that the government took nearly three years to take action on loggerhead sea turtles. She said the government was supposed to respond to such petitions within one year. “It’s been a much slower process than we would have liked,’’ she said.
Welcome to dealing with the AmeriKan government.
The only thing they move quick on are wars and bank bailouts.
The government identified nine groups of loggerhead sea turtles and proposed upgrading seven groups — in the Mediterranean Sea, North Indian Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, Northeast Atlantic Ocean, Northwest Atlantic Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, and Southeast Indo-Pacific Ocean — to “endangered’’ after finding that they faced risk of extinction. All nine groups are already considered threatened.
“Loggerheads will disappear from the Pacific without greater protections from capture in fisheries,’’ said Todd Steiner, executive director of the Turtle Island Restoration Network, which advocates for the turtles on the West Coast. “Action is more urgent than ever.’’
Normally I would be repulsed by the word urgent, but not in this case.
Also see: Florida's Frozen Orange Juice
The Agenda-Pushing Boston Globe Has Frozen Egg on Its Face'
Remember those little pet turtles you used to be able to buy at Woolworths, America?
I used to have a couple. Cried when they died.
Hey, look, I was 10-years-old, 'kay?
Yeah, so what's changed, huh?
This post was filled with periods of moist eyes.
LIFE is PRECIOUS, dear readers!
ALL LIFE!
