Responsabilidade Animal

Great Article For Final Week Of Responsible Animal Guardian Month

IDA is the featured organization this month on the Action Now! Network, so we'd like to share this wonderful feature on the A.N.N website about IDA and our founder, Dr. Elliot M. Katz. As we bring "Responsible Animal Guardian Month” to a close, we invite you to learn all about IDA's beginnings and the promise of our Guardian Campaign to change the concept of "animal" from a "thing" that humans control and dominate to a sentient being who deserves to be treated responsibly, with compassion and respect. As Dr. Katz says in the article, "In addition to all the thousands of lives that IDA has saved, if I have had some small part in a paradigm shift as to how we relate to other species, then I will feel I have lived a life worth living." Click here to read more!

Lily Tomlin Speaks Up For Bronx Zoo Elephants

Following the announcement that the Bronx Zoo in New York faces severe funding cuts, actor Lily Tomlin sent a letter this week urging the zoo to send its three elephants – Happy, Patty and Maxine – to a spacious, natural-habitat sanctuary. In her letter, Tomlin cited the threatened budget crunch and unnatural conditions for elephants, including cramped exhibit space and frigid weather that forces them indoors throughout the winter, as reasons for the move. Elephants are the most expensive animals to maintain in a zoo, at an annual cost of up to $200,000 each, so sending Maxine, Patty and Happy to a sanctuary – at no cost to the zoo – would also help save precious resources.

The Bronx Zoo announced in 2006 that it would phase out its elephant program after the deaths of one or two elephants and instead steer funding directly into conserving elephants in Africa and Asia. Rather than wait until an elephant dies, the zoo should send Maxine, Patty and Happy to a sanctuary now, where they would have room to roam, a warmer climate, and the companionship of other Asian elephants.

The elephants – all captured in the wild – have spent more than 34 years on display at the Bronx Zoo.

1. Click here to send a message to the Bronx Zoo saying that Lily Tomlin is right! The elephants should be sent to a sanctuary now.

2. Send a letter to the editor of the New York Times, Newsday, NY Daily News, and NY Post, saying the Bronx Zoo should retire the elephants now.

IDA Rescues 13 Dogs And 3 Cats In Mississippi

On May 16, IDA and the Carroll County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Department began seizing 13 dogs and 3 cats from a dilapidated home. After confirming reports of horribly neglected animals, a judge issued a seizure order with IDA’s Hope Animal Sanctuary acting as the humane agent for the Sheriff’s Department.

The dogs suffered Sarcoptic mange, heartworms, internal parasites, ticks, fleas, Parvo, and had grossly overgrown toenails and sores on the pads of their feet. Two kittens suffering from advanced upper respiratory disease and a thin elderly cat found in the yard suffering urinary tract distress were also rescued from the property. Click here to read the rest of the story.

Roger Ebert Says New Film "Forks Over Knives" Could Save Your Life

Film critic Roger Ebert has written a great review of the new documentary "Forks Over Knives." Here are two excerpts from Ebert:

"Forks Over Knives" is a documentary in which Lee Fulkerson enacts a mirror image of the journey taken by Morgan Spurlock in "Supersize Me." Instead of eating only at McDonald's for a month and nearly killing himself, he eats a plant-based whole food diet for six months, gets off all of his cholesterol and blood pressure medications, drops a lot of weight, sleeps better and has more energy." ... and ... "What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you. Dairy is bad for you. Forget the ads: Milk and eggs are bad for you. Skim milk is no better, because it contains proportionately more animal protein." Click here to visit rogerebert.com to read the rest of the review, then go see this movie!

IDA India Expands Water Bowl Project To City Of Pune

Thanks in part to your donations, IDA India's Water Bowl Project is expanding, now in the city of Pune! Click here to read a great new article about this project from the Indian newspaper MIDDAY. Our Water Bowl Project is coordinated by IDA India's Managing Committee Member Sarita Raturi. The photo here is the very first bowl in Pune. These water bowls are cleaned and taken care of by IDA supporters in India, who also choose where to place them, so as not to obstruct traffic or people walking on the sidewalks or crowded streets. They are now a big hit wherever they are placed!