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Animal Rights
The Portland area has a strong history of animal rights activism. Within recent years, institutions like Legacy and OHSU have been targeted for their barbaric experiments on primates, cats, dogs, and other animals. Partially in response to public pressure, they're in the process of consolidating most, if not all, animal experimentation at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center (ORPRC). In anticipation of this and based on the Oregon Opportunity Plan's ill-conceived aim to expand Oregon's biomedical industry and its use of animal models, the ORPRC is in the process of enlarging their compound. To this end, they've been awarded $200 million from the tobacco tax fund. That OHP and indigent services are facing cuts so drastic they may be fatal, combined with the fact that animal research was used for at least 20 years to prove tobacco did not cause lung cancer, make this award to ORPRC painfully ironic. A campaign of increasing importance is Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), a dedicated group of activists who have been successful in martialing national support for their efforts to shut down the infamous New Jersey animal testing lab. Read on and follow links provided in the left column for more background and information. Portland Indymedia offers a place where the stories of these events can be told. This page contains portland indymedia content on many of the public events of the last few months, but is by no means exhaustive. The best way to improve indymedia coverage is to participate yourself, by publishing your own original reporting to the newswire, or producing audio or video for streaming radio, video showings or cable access. "Don't hate the media -- become the media!"
From the open publishing newswire:
Le Pigeon, at SE 8th & Burnside, and Sel Gris, at SE 18th & Hawthorne, weren't expecting 50+ activists to roll up on Saturday night to call them out on grotesque animal abuses. Charged chanting and severe shaming went non-stop for almost an hour at each foie gras restaurant Saturday night. Force-feeding geese and ducks until they die is a cruel tradition for a disgusting delicacy of despair. You can do what you want, I'm going to act to remove foie gras from menus and markets whenever possible.
Dr. Eliott Spindel was cooling out in his Lake Oswego castle on Sunday night when around 40 demonstrators, most with their identities concealed behind bandannas and hoodies, sent him vocal hell for a half hour. Next, Ungar Furs owner Horst Grim was paid a visit all the way in Happy Valley where the defenders of fur bearers raised an uproar for another 30 minutes. Just after the activists drove away in a bio-diesel bus named "Cool", a cop cited a legal observer for littering when a piece of video camera tape wrapper was accidentally dropped. Otherwise they were as kind as defenders of animal abusers and greedy corporate capitalism could be.
From the open publishing newswire:
There are a lot of activists swooping into PDX for the Let Live weekend (letlivefoundation.org/conference) and the surge against animal abuse begins Friday the 26th with a rally at Ungar furs, SW 12th & Yamhill (2 blocks west of the library). If you want help animals then come "Raise your fist and your voice, (cause) fox & mink have no choice!" Ungar has been slaughtering innocent animals for 103 years and is the last furrier in downtown Portland. Although the Let Live Conference ends on Sunday night a lot of animal advocates are sticking around for another rally on Monday at Ungar.
From the open publishing newswire:
Last Saturday, dozens of elephant supporters turned out at the Oregon Zoo to educate the public about the plight of elephants in zoos. This was part of an international day of action, in which people all over the world rejected the premise that forcing elephants to entertain humans in tiny enclosures is worth the cost to the animals.
If you want to see the real face of elephant "handling," here is a shocking undercover video of an elephant being abused so that she can entertain the public:  http://ida.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=4621.0&printer_friendly=1. If you think exhibiting elephants is remotely acceptable, I urge you to watch this video.
For much more information about elephants in zoos, please see http://www.helpelephants.com/about_us.html.
From the open publishing newswire:
Animals belong to themselves, not to us. They should not suffer in our systems of food, science, entertainment and fashion. Instead, they should live free of the tyranny we put upon them. But they cannot claim this freedom alone. The Let Live NW Animal Rights Conference is a grassroots forum for people who want to help. Through an open, respectful, and friendly environment this conference will provide an opportunity for attendees to learn skills and strategies to become better advocates for the animals, no matter ones experience level in activism.
"Let Live" is taking place in Portland, Oregon, June 26th-28th, 2009. It will be held this year on the campus of Portland State University in the Smith Memorial Building. It is being organized by Vegans for Animal Advocacy, with support from Let Live Foundation as well as local area businesses such as Herbivore Clothing, and Food Fight Grocery
From the open publishing newswire:
This morning around 9:30am I was traveling on the MAX reading a book and I saw bright red from the corner of my eye. I looked up to see bright red paint splattered across a building like blood. Then I noticed it was Nicholas Ungar Furs. So I got off the train to get some photos and info for this article. The entrance, the sidewalk, the windows, and the sign on the front of the building were significantly splattered. The Police arrived very shortly after I did leading me to believe that perhaps this just happened last night.
As of this posting I have not seen a communiqué from this anonymous guerrilla artist so I will attempt to piece together an understanding of why such an action has been taken.
From the open publishing newswire:
Two prominent Obama administration officials were in Oregon today to discuss salmon recovery. NOAA chief (and former OSU professor) Jane Lubchenco and White House Council on Environmental Quality chairwoman Nancy Sutley came to talk salmon, but pointedly did not allow participation from the public -- indeed, the doors were closed to almost everyone. Despite the incredibly short notice, dozens of people showed up with signs, banners, and lots of spirit. I had actually expected to meet with some tension from the fishermen who had promised to be there. However, when I arrived and began talking to the other groups, I was pleasantly surprised and amazed at how articulate and well-informed this particular crowd was on this issue. Sea lion advocates and anglers immediately found common ground on numerous issues: All of us care about real salmon recovery; None of us believes killing sea lions is the answer; All of us want to see dams removed from the Snake river; All of us want to see habitat restoration. By the end, we were actually carrying each others' signs -- some of the fishermen carried signs supporting sea lions, and some of us carried their "science not politics" signs. [ Read More | Older articles | Sea Lion Defense Brigade ]
From the open publishing newswire:
We now know the identities of the animals put to death by the state. There were three of them rather than two. They are: C645, C674 and C858... C645 had a name, not just a brand. He was given the name Glider, by the children of Redland Elementary School. C674 was named "Hershey" by the community, in honor of Governor Kulongoski's dog. C858 had been added to the death list only last month, after being observed eating only TWO fish. Clearly, they are not targeting "problem" animals, as they had initially claimed. They are targeting and killing any sea lion they can get. Once again, we are asking for volunteers to step forward who would like to assist with monitoring. It seems that the killing has not ended for the year after all. We particularly need people to be watching the river at Bonneville dam, and down in Astoria at the sea lion haul out. If you would be interested in helping with this, please contact the Sea Lion Defense Brigade at info@sealiondefensebrigade.org. You can also call Matt Rossell at In Defense of Animals to volunteer as a monitor. That number is (503)249-9996. [ Read More | http://sealiondefensebrigade.org ]
From the open publishing newswire:
Today is a day to celebrate. The European Union has slammed shut the door on trade in the products of the commercial seal slaughter. The Canadian government estimates that losing this primary market will cost Canada's sealing industry $6.6 million (CAD) each year. The hunt brought in less than $7 million last year. Just the promise of an EU ban was enough to drive the prices for seal fur down to $15 (CAD) per skin -- a decline of 86 percent since 2006. As a result, many sealers stayed home. Out of this year's quota of 280,000 harp seals, fewer than 60,000 have been killed so far. Canadian seal hunt supporters won't give up just yet. With government subsidies still in hand, the sealing industry will be chasing down new markets. The ProtectSeals campaign is working to convince all targeted nations to follow the EU's example. Canadian Senator Mac Harb has introduced his nation's first bill to end the hunt. The ProtectSeals campaign is striving to convince other members of Canada's Parliament to support the bill. [ Read More ]
From the open publishing newswire:
On Friday, April 10th, Salem Police and Willamette Humane Society responded to a report of animal neglect at the Scamps Pet Center located inside Salem's Lancaster Mall. Officials liberated 2 dogs and a rabbit from Scamps who were found to be living in poor health conditions. Store manager Laura Lien, 59, was cited for animal neglect. Scamps Pet Center at the Lancaster Mall is now being investigated.
Tracy Lee, a former employee of Scamps in Corvallis, Albany and Eugene says, "I'm not surprised that there are only 6 stores left of the dozens that were in business when I worked for them. Yes, they were known for buying from puppy and kitten mills, and a number of animals would die while in the shop. I remember the mutant American Eskimo with the paw growing out of it's chest." [ Read More ]
From the open publishing newswire:
Much gratitude to the community for starting to stand up for the Columbia River Sea Lions recently! For those who want to get involved but haven't known what they could do to help, here is your invitation. The Sea Lion Defense Brigade is expanding our patrols, and we would like your help.
From the open publishing newswire:
In the early hours of April, 18 2009, after making our way through muddy fields we
descended upon CSL Game Farm (7401 NW Kerkman Rd, Cornelius, Oregon) a breeder of 'game birds' for the meat industry. Outdoor pens housing pheasants and quail were opened giving the birds a chance to escape into the night sky. The exact number that got away is unknown, but we hope it is many.
From the open publishing newswire:
First, officials went after sea lions. Now, legislators are trying to target cormorants for the same reason. They say that, since we humans want to kill so many animals, we need to kill off all natural predators so that we don't need to deal with our own unnatural behavior.
Senate Joint Memorial 7 is a bill that is sponsored by Fred Girod, the same guy trying to make it even easier to kill sea lions in Oregon. It's a bill that would make it legal to kill cormorants. Are you familiar with cormorants? They're beautiful black water birds with yellow beaks, who sit on posts on the river and hold their wings out like little statues, warming themselves in the sun. Related: Earth day for Sea Lions, Cormorants, Terns, and other creatures: Today, as I was walking near a school in rural Colton, Oregon, I observed several volunteers, out planting trees, and improving the habitat near a stream that meanders through the school ground. Colton probably has more trees (albeit second, third, fourth, and even fifth growth) per capita than pernaps 90% of the country.
From the open publishing newswire:
What a great day for standing up for the sea lions! With the sun shining on us, animal advocates packed the bus called Cool and headed down to Salem today. We came from all over Cascadia -- from Portland, from Eugene, from St Helens, from Colton, from Beavercreek, and from other communities across Oregon. As there was only supposed to be room for 25 on the bus, we had to squeeze together close to fit 30 on board, and others had to make their own way there in separate cars. We went down to the capital to make our voices heard on behalf of some of the most oppressed residents in all of Cascadia. We went to speak up for the sea lions of the Columbia.
We began with an hour-long demonstration at ODFW headquarters. The ODFW is the Oregon state agency responsible for killing the sea lions. They're spending more than a million Oregon taxpayer dollars on this mis-guided program, at the same time that services are being cut to senior citizens, people with disabilities, and children. (Washington State residents are spending an additional $1 million plus on their half of the killing.) They've admitted that the best they can hope for from this program is that it might, perhaps, be "marginally" helpful. More likely, it will not be effective at all. Because, as we all know, it is not the sea lions who are driving the salmon into extinction. It is us. homepage: http://sealiondefensebrigade.org |
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