Rabbit Advocate's Kem Sypher on the Tragedy of 18 Rabbits

Anon - Thank you for this very enlightening information - it really is an eye opener. We must distinguish the difference between animal welfare and animal rights/activism. Animal welfare is demanding bigger and cleaner cages. Animal rights is demanding these same cages have their doors opened and the cages emptied. Animal welfare advises going to a reputable breeder to get your pet. Animal rights is telling people to go to shelters or rescue groups to adopt a companion animal. Animal welfare is very concerned about image and donations. Animal rights cares about an animal's safety -rights and well being. Animal welfare believes it is perfectly alright to slaughter animals as long as it is done "humanely." Animal rights says it is never okay to harm or kill an animal for human consumption - sport or profit. Animal welfare feels it is acceptable to keep animals in captivity such as in zoos - circuses - breeding colonies as long as they are treated well. Animal rights says animals belong in their own habitats and are not meant for entertainment - experimentation - exploitation - breeding or our personal vanity. Animal welfare believes in vivisection and medical research using animals to better human heath. Animal rights - again - says open the doors and empty the cages. The list goes on - add to this your own beliefs. It comes as no surprise this individual who referred to the rabbits as being "stolen" instead of "liberated or saved from slaughter" is connected to the Oregon Humane Society - as OHS is definitely a welfare group for animals and not an animal rights group. There is a place and need for both types of organizations. What there is NO place for is cooperation with the police/government agencies when it comes to protecting the health and life of an animal. I have found myself in that position and have always sided with the animals. No regrets!

Never attribute to malice what could be ordinary stupidity.

LOOK, this horrible outcome was NOT the fault of the Rabbit Advocate folks and animal right folks who are blaming them aren't thinking straight. Let me ask you a simple question. Did the folks who liberated these rabbits announce "we did it, these are our names, we have the rabbits, come arrest us". OF COURSE NOT. Liberating animals is underground work.

Well you can't put that onus on the folks who are operating out in the open, completely above ground. As soon as disclosed to them that the rabbits were stolen (according to the laws, however we dispprove) and this becomes KNOWN then they either turn the rabbits over or go to jail as "accessories after the fact" or "receivers of stolen property".

You who have decided to work underground are accepting the risks. You can't draft people to share the risk with you and especially you can't stick the onus onto others that you aren't accepting for yourselves. You aren't stepping forward saying you took the rabbits; the Rabbit Advocate folks didn't know where the rabbits came from, did you? You put them into the position of returning the rabbits and telling all that they know (if anything) about who dropped them off on them.

OK, maybe this was just a hope that it wouldn't be found out. But in that case, why the whining about it and casting blame where it doesn't belong?

Or IS this "malice" (politics) instead of stupidity?

Mike Novack - Why did I know you would be the first to respond to my post with your same old same old gibberish. I am assuming you have no knowledge of whether or not there may have been communication between the liberators and the rabbit welfare folks. For all you or I know someone from the rabbit welfare group told the liberators to take the rabbits to this home and they would find safe refuge from the intended slaughter. But I don't know what actually transpired and probably neither do you. The fact of the matter is this so called rabbit advocacy group took it upon themselves to return these animals to a cruel and inhumane situation. If that in itself wasn't bad enough they then went public and stated they were working with the cops and investigators wanting the thieves brought to justice. This is not and never will be an acceptable course of action. You do not throw the rabbits to the wolves. For me personally - I will NEVER trust or work with this rabbit advocate organization - I have used their services when I removed an abandoned rabbit from the Glendover Golf Course and again when two of us rescued 52 rabbits left to die in a storage unit (they were then using the name House Rabbits). Never again - they have proven to be untrustworthy and certainly no friends or protectors of animals. I have nothing but praise and admiration for those who took the initiative to rescue these rabbits and attempt to find them a safe haven. And no - these brave individuals did not come forward and say they had done this extraordinary act of kindness .... they are not stupid - they are heroes. We need more individuals and groups like them who are willing to put their lives and freedom on the line to help those in need.
VIVA ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT! Now lets see the feds come knocking on my door because of my beliefs.

this guy is a tool. He is the treasurer of RA. Maybe there are other people there with more power who are better? This information might be forwarded on to RA. Perhaps they don't know what an idiot he is and what he is spreading about rabbit care and the organization. Probably not, but we can hope.

"I have nothing but praise and admiration for those who took the initiative to rescue these rabbits and attempt to find them a safe haven. And no - these brave individuals did not come forward and say they had done this extraordinary act of kindness .... they are not stupid - they are heroes. We need more individuals and groups like them who are willing to put their lives and freedom on the line to help those in need."

Yes, but you can't DRAFT these more people. And you especially can't draft them into "suicidal" positions.

As soon as disclosed that the Rabbit Advocate folks had the rabbits for them not to have returned them and agreed to cooperate with whatever information they had about how they got the rabbits would be EXACTLY the same as the activists who took the rabbits shouting "I did it, this is my name, I have the rabbits, here is where I am, come get me." Somehow you understand that would be stupid but not when it is the Rabbit Advocate folks. You are chastising the Rabbit Advocate folks for not trying to protect the rabbits in an OPEN situation at the same time you say that the liberators would have been stupid to try to do that.

Underground actions have to be underground. Above ground actions aboveground. Both are necessary. Have to learn to maintain plausible deniability of connections or people are simply going to end up in jail where they can't do any actions.

Mike Novack - Here is a perfect example of what any private person can do IF they really want to protect an animal .....
Today I found a large dog running in and out of traffic. Took the dog into my home and offered it a safe refuge. The dog appeared healthy - well cared for and had its basic commands down well. Made the usual calls to list it as "found" - put an ad in the paper and took it down to a local vet to be checked for a chip. Bingo - they found a micro-chip. The clinic made several calls for me and located the guardian. Unfortunately - no one answered at the phone numbers listed. I called Multnomah County Animal Control to see if they had a dog of the same description listed as "lost."
After taking down some info they told me I needed to list the dog with them - told them I thought we had an owner and was just waiting for a call. They informed me I could not keep the dog - guaranteed them that was not my intention or desire. They said any dog that was micro-chipped was an "owned" dog and I needed to bring him to the shelter. Let them know that was NOT going to happen. They threatened me several times with theft of an animal. Told them I was not going to be intimidated by their "bullshit" and I was not giving them the dog so they could place heavy fines on the dog's people and traumatize the dog inside their shelter. Shortly after hanging up on them I received a call from the clinic where I had taken it for the scan. They had received a call from MCAC asking if they had performed a scan on a lost dog when they said they had they asked for name - number and address of the person who brought the dog in. Asked how MCAC knew to call them and was told they had been calling all the vets in the area to find who had scanned a lost dog and asked for my personal info. Told the clinic they did NOT have my permission to give out any info reg me to MCAC as they are no friend of mine or to animals. Yet another person standing up for the rights and safety of an animal. Will I go to jail - go directly to jail - do not pass go .... probably not. Would I care ..... yes - but that is a chance I would take for this or any other animal!

I doubt that most people who get involved in the rescue/liberation of an animal give much thought to whether they are working "above ground" or "underground". They see a problem and take action. They put their trust in organizations that solicite funds for the protection of animals, unaware of the politics in these organizations and their fear of bad publicity. The people in Rabbit Advocates could have taken a stand and refused to return the rabbits. Their fear of punishment and bad publicity was enough to make them betray the trust of those they claim to care about. It is a lesson for anyone who steps up to rescue an animal--be prepared to hold the animal yourself or pass them onto someone you know you can trust, and be aware that most donation dependent organizations will follow the law, not the ethics of sanctuary.

amazing story! You are a fearless advocate for animals. Good work!