Cheers

Cheers to State Sen. Don Harmon , D-Illinois, who supported legislation that bans monkeys as pets — effective this past January. Sen. Harmon was quoted as saying, “As cute and cuddly as monkeys can be, people should not have them as pets.” Here at Friends of Animals, we couldn’t agree more!

Please thank Sen. Harmon for supporting this ban — and encourage him to support other pro-animal legislation:

1243 N. Woodbine Ave. #102
Oak Park , Illinois 60302
E-mail: info@donharmon.org
Phone: (708) 524-2006 Fax: (708) 386-4099

Cheers to Norway, the first country in the world to prohibit clothing made from fur during a fashion week, as reported the Internet site Scandinavianfashion.net.

Paul Vasbotten, general manager of the Oslo Fashion Week, called the decision a “natural choice” to “increase ethical values in fashion.” Fur-free designer Fam Irvoll and the Norwegian advocacy group NOAH--which organized demonstrations and gathered anti-fur pledges from more than 200 designers, models, managers and photographers--have driven this success.

Cheers to China , for officially banning circuses that feature animals. The Telegraph, a British newspaper, reports that the ban went into effect January 18. This is huge news for the animals who spend their lives in cages, tormented by humans and forced to perform.

Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, also reports that the number of mink that China farms and kills has decreased significantly. As recently as 2006, the Chinese government was killing about 18 million mink per year. Currently, the number is around 9 million. Here at Friends of Animals, of course, we’d like that number to reach zero!

Please contact the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. to thank them for their recent strides and also to encourage China to do more for animals:

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States
3505, International Place, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20008
Phone: (202) 495-2266
E-mail:chinaembpress_us@mfa.gov.cn 

Cheers to veterinary surgeon and zoologist Andre Menache , who has called for an end to the use of primates in toxicology testing. Citing the fact that primates — torn away from their families and natural habitats — are tortured before they are even experimented on, Menache has unequivocally stated that any research is invalidated by the fact that primates in captivity are under great stress; they often literally go crazy. Menache rightly points out that scientists already have access to human DNA, which provides reliable scientific data. Menache also seeks EU legislation to ban the practice.

Menache is the director of the non-governmental organisation Antidote Europe. Please offer your thanks and encouragement for a complete ban of animals testing:

Antidote Europe
c/o Andre Menache
25 rue Jacques Callot
Perpignan 66000
FRANCE
E-mail:info@antidote-europe.org

 

Jeers

Jeers to actor Liam Neeson, who has signed on to star in the new movie “The Grey.” The highly improbable story follows a crew of oil rig workers, led by Neeson, who are left stranded by a plane crash in the Alaskan tundra. According to various reports, the men end up in the hunting zone of a pack of “rogue wolves.”

Not only is it extremely rare for wolves to attack humans, but this movie could have dire consequences for wolf conservation efforts that already suffer setbacks due to misinformation and propaganda.

Tell Neeson not only that you won’t be seeing his farce of a movie…but you will be telling others to avoid it as well:

Rogers & Cowan
Pacific Design Center
c/o Liam Neeson
8687 Melrose Avenue
7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90069
USA Phone: (310) 854-8100

ARG
c/o Liam Neeson
4 Great Portland Street
London W1W 8PA
UK Phone: +44 (0)20-7436 6400

Jeers to Blake Montpetit , the co-owner of Tiffany Sports Lounge in St. Paul, Minnesota; Montpetit planned to show his support for his favorite football team, The Greenbay Packers, by roasting and serving a black bear to bar patrons during the game against the Chicago Bears in January 2011. Although plans to actually serve the bear were shot down by the health department, Montpetit promoted the event as a photo-op for patrons — a chance to get your picture taken beside a roasting bear!

Montpetit’s behavior is juvenile, revolting and stupid. We hope you’ll let him know:

Tiffany Sports Lounge
c/o Blake Montpetit
2051 Ford Parkway
Saint Paul, MN 55116-1932
Phone: (651) 690-4747
E-mail: bmontpetit@tiffanysportslounge.com

Jeers to Janet Jackson, Miranda Lambert and Clay Walker — all of whom are performing concerts as part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The rodeo is a despicable spectacle that sells macho acts of domination as entertainment. The animals forced to perform in rodeos endure the pain of flank straps, electric prods and other sadistic methods of torture.

Please let these recording artists know that they are supporting violence and torture, and subsequently you won’t be supporting them:

Janet Jackson William Morris Endeavor Entertainment
9601 Wilshire Blvd.
3rd Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: (310) 285-9000

Miranda Lambert William Morris Endeavor Entertainment
9601 Wilshire Blvd.
3rd Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: (310) 285-9000

Clay Walker
Paul Freundlich Associates (PFA)
285 W. Broadway, STE. 630
New York, NY 10013
Phone:(212) 334-6116
Fax: (212) 334-.6336
E-mail: dcarberry@pfamedia.net