letters

LETTER 1 - Inspiration From a Reader

I received the Autumn 2012, Act ∙ionLine today, and found the contents interesting and informative. The page discussing Priscilla's cooking experiences with Miyoko made me envious and now I want to try these recipes. The story of Oliver was excellent. I remember the times that animals were paraded on TV. Not a good memory. I really enjoyed the article," The Vegan Yogi.” Since I practice yoga, I agree with her statements, and feel that I would enjoy her as a teacher. There are still more articles for me to read tonight, but I just wanted to tell you how great Act ∙ionLine is.

Diane Notarianni

Cranston, R.I.

LETTER 2 – Misguided Solution to Bird Strikes

There is increasing noise for the necks of the eagles, another bird deemed a threat to our flying machines (The Eagles And the Jets, Autumn 2012). Airplanes, like electric power-lines, DDT and lead, don't commingle well with birds. The Bald eagle, having survived a century of persecution and superstition, is again expendable for a new wave of killing/"takes" because of its sufficient numbers, and the hard fact that it was born to fly - its only transgression.

The tragedy of a potential, catastrophic bird strike on aircraft is real. Our government's efforts to prevent such a disaster have been the unfolding of another tragedy - the bureaucratized justification for the mass extermination of avian life. There is no dilemma: human existence is not dependent on flight; the dictates of evolution mandate otherwise for birds. Don Heintzelman shares with us the sane, non-lethal tools of habitat modification to make airport property undesirable, which together with avian radar technology provides an integrated plan of deterrence and detection.

Regrettably, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services - an obsolete, kill-for-profit agency - was assigned to enforce the FAA's mandate of no-fly zones for species-specific birds within airports' airspace. Wildlife Services' stated mission is "...to resolve wildlife conflicts to allow people and wildlife to coexist,” which translates inevitably into nonexistence for the wildlife. Under their "leadership" the Bald eagle, along with other resurging raptors such as the Osprey and Peregrine falcon, will not fare any better than have the thousands to tens-of thousands of Gulls, Vultures, and Canada geese - all sent by Wildlife Services into the Arms of the Angel.

Perhaps now they are able to fly free again.

Jeffrey Kramer

New York City

LETTER 3 – Applause for Stories on Chimps and Geese

I’ve always thought of Friends of Animals as a very fine animal rights organization so I was very eager to read about Primarily Primates in the Autumn, ActionLine. I was excited to learn about dear Oliver, the chimpanzee who formerly was exploited for shows and then so-called research laboratories. Thankfully he was brought to Primarily Primates to live out the remainder of his life in a sanctuary with other chimpanzees. To me that was quite noteworthy in itself.

I applaud your policy not to have given Oliver’s body to anyone after he died. That would have enabled more scientific researchers to further exploit him. Laying him to rest through cremation and scattering his ashes throughout the sanctuary he loved as his home was the best tribute you could have given him.

After reading the Jeers column concerning U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and her part in the annihilation of over 700 Canada geese in the Jamaican Wildlife Refuge, I wrote a letter to her expressing my horror; and conveying the views of both aviation and wildlife experts. I also told her that as a senator from New York she should do what her constituents want, not what she wants. Of course I reminded her that she is running for re-election and if she continues with that sordid mentality that the branch of the tree she is sitting on could break and she will fall down.

Wishing you the best always.

Elisabeth B. Joshi

Mahopac, NY