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Farm Sanctuary, which operates the largest rescue and refuge network for farm animals in North America, and Animal Place, a nonprofit sanctuary for abused and discarded farmed animals, have responded to a call from Santa Cruz Animal Services and are coming to the aid of 14 neglected animals confiscated from a Watsonville slaughterhouse on May 1st.
The rescued animals—12 goats, one cow and one sheep—were discovered at the Lee Road slaughter facility on May 1st by Todd Stosuy of Santa Cruz Animal Services, when he noticed a cow with a bloody horn from the road and initiated an investigation. Stosuy said that in addition to the injured cow, he found 12 very ill, malnourished goats with overgrown, rotted hoofs, as well as several other animals who would have perished if he had not intervened. Upon returning to the facility on May 3rd, Stosuy seized eight more goats and another sheep whose health had deteriorated since his last visit; the sanctuaries and Animal Services are arranging placement of these animals. According to Stosuy, all of the rescued animals were either acquired by the owner at auction or raised on the property and were to be hand-picked by and slaughtered for local customers. Read More
Farm Sanctuary | Animal Place | Californians for Humane Farms | NoDowners.org
On April 9, 2008, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen certified an anti-cruelty ballot initiative for the statewide general election on November 4, 2008. Californians for Humane Farms, sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States, Farm Sanctuary and other animal protection groups, family farmers, veterinarians and public health professionals, said the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act will provide the most basic protection to nearly 20 million animals confined in industrial factory farms in California: that they merely be able to turn around and extend their limbs.
When approved in November, the Act will prevent California factory farms from confining animals in the most restrictive crates or cages — specifically, veal crates for calves, battery cages for egg-laying hens, and gestation crates for breeding pigs. The new law would take effect in 2015, allowing producers ample time to transition to more humane and environmentally sustainable systems.
"Across California, millions of farm animals are crammed into cages so small they can barely move for months on end," stated Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "We're heartened that nearly 800,000 Californians signed to put this important anti-cruelty initiative on the ballot, and we look forward to November, when Californians will vote to establish the principle in law that animals raised for food deserve humane treatment."
Read More | Previous Indybay Feature
Science Hill tree-sit organizers and supporters write, "As you may have heard, on February 24th, some kind of protest took place at the home of a UCSC researcher who experiments on animals. Hyped-up news articles and administrative messages on campus have led some people to associate this protest with the Tree-Sit on Science Hill. We wish to take this opportunity to make it clear that the tree-sit is NOT affiliated."
On February 21st, the Bush administration finalized its controversial decision to remove the Northern Rockies gray wolf from the list of species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The removal of federal protections for the gray wolf puts its continued survival in the Northern Rockies at the mercy of the woefully insufficient state management plans developed by Wyoming, Idaho and—to a lesser extent—Montana. These plans call for dramatic reductions in wolf populations in the region.
George Cadman of Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 FM interviewed Mike Leahy, Rocky Mountain Region Director for Defenders Of Wildlife, about the recent decision.  Read More and Listen to Audio
On February 23rd, noted animal rights activist Peter Young spoke at the Louden Nelson Center in Santa Cruz about his experiences with the animal liberation movement. His talk was followed by a screening of the film " Behind the Mask", a thought provoking film that gives an in-depth look at the lives and motivations of animal liberationists. The event was a benefit for the SHAC 7; six individuals whose 1st Amendment rights were violated when they were sent to prison for defending animals by merely drawing attention to the horrors that go on at an animal testing facility called Huntingdon Life Sciences.
In 1997, Peter and a friend liberated over 8,000 mink and foxes from various fur farms in a two-week road trip across three midwestern states. Read More and Listen to Audio
see also: Audio Interview with Will Potter of "Green is the New Red" || Analysis of Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act || Green Is The New Red.com
Local and national media are reporting on the recall of 143 million pounds of meat from a southern California slaughterhouse. More than 70 school districts and social service agencies in the Central Valley ended up with some of that meat. But, the issue of contaminated meat might be a lot more problematic and local than we have been told. According to Steven Gomez*, who worked for six months at Cargill Regional Beef in Fresno, the practices that led to the current recall at the Hallmark Meat Company in southern California happen every day locally.
"They use downer cows all the time," Gomez told Mike Rhodes in an exclusive interview. Gomez said it was common practice for workers in the southwest Fresno slaughterhouse to hit downed cows with sticks and eventually pick them up with a fork lift to get them onto the kill floor. According to Karen Stump*, who also worked at Cargill, "they would shoot the cow because it couldn't get up and then they would bring them into the kill room with a fork lift." Both Gomez and Stump said those downer cows would be processed and put into the food stream with all of the other cows.
According to a statement from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the group that uncovered the southern California incident that led to the current recall, "downer cows must not be used for food-plain and simple. As the HSUS video shows, this is necessary to protect animals from suffering. As science has made clear, this is necessary to protect food safety. The practice of slaughtering downed cows is especially troubling now that the link between downed cattle and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, has been firmly established. Of the 15 known cases of BSE-infected animals discovered in North America, at least 12 involved downed animals."
* Steven Gomez and Karen Stump are not the whistleblowers' real names.
 Photos and full story
On February 24th, police broke through the front door of a home on the 700 block of Riverside Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz. For the duration of the police presence they declined to comment on their reason for being there, other than to say it was an "ongoing investigation." Comments on the newswire state that the police actions were in response to a demonstration that took place that morning at the home of a UCSC vivisectionist (animal testing by inflicting distress unto an animal to research the effects of a variable).
The Humane Society of United States ( HSUS) conducted a video-taped undercover investigation of Hallmark Meat Packing Company slaughterhouse in Chino, California. The six-week investigation was conducted in secret by an investigator who posed as an employee. The investigator documented cows unable to walk, known as "downed" cows, being rammed with the blades of a forklift, jabbed in the eyes, stabbed with electric prods and sprayed in the nose with high-pressure water hoses. Under federal regulations, only animals able to walk on their own can be used for meat. Downed cattle, which have higher occurrences of mad cow disease and other health issues, are supposed to be euthanized and removed immediately.
The video was released to the public by HSUS on January 30th. The video led to San Bernardino County district attorney filing criminal charges against two workers on February 15th, and then on February 17th, the USDA announced the recall of 143 million pounds of beef that came from the Chino plant, making it by far the largest beef recall in U.S. history. The plant has since been closed. USDA officials have noted, though, that most of the beef intended for the recall has already been consumed. The Chino slaughter plant had supplied the Westland Meat Company, which processes the carcasses. The facility is the second-largest supplier of beef to USDA's Commodity Procurement Branch, which distributes the beef to needy families, the elderly and also to schools in 36 states through the National School Lunch Program.
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·  Exposé Video
· Audio
GARDINER & WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT: 290 wild buffalo have been slaughtered by the National Park Service in Yellowstone since February 8th. These actions are being taken to appease Montana's cattle interests, who claim they fear the spread of brucellosis from wild bison to cattle. A week of action was held February 14th though the 21st to draw attention to the role of Yellowstone National Park and Montana in the harassment, capture, and slaughter of the last wild population of American bison remaining in the United States.
"Originally the U.S. Calvary was sent here to protect the last remaining bison found in Yellowstone," said Mike Mease, co-founder of Buffalo Field Campaign. "How sadly ironic that millions of U.S. tax dollars are now being spent to kill them."
George Cadman of Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 FM spoke with Stephany Seay of the Buffalo Field Campaign about the real reasons behind the slaughter, what they are doing to fight it and how people can get involved. Read More and Listen to the Interview | BFC's Feb. 21st Update from the Field
Meeting up with the BFC: The paradox of joy and failure || Stopping slaughter of buffalo in Yellowstone: What's next to do? || Previous Coverage
On February 4th, lawyers representing Jennifer Charles requested that the University of California's lawsuit attempting to stifle her free speech be dismissed. Charles, a UC Santa Cruz alumnus, has been acting as the media contact for tree sitters at UCSC protesting the University's plan to destroy 120 acres of forest. The tree sitters have been protecting groves of redwoods since November 7th, when hundreds of people rallied in opposition to the increased University construction.
The California Fish and Game Commission in San Diego voted 3-0 on February 7th to designate the longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), a native fish that has dropped to record low numbers in the San Francisco Bay-Delta and is nearing extinction in other northern California estuaries, as a "candidate species." This is the first step toward a formal listing as an endangered or threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act, according to a press release from a coalition of three environmental groups.
GARDINER, MONTANA - Yellowstone National Park officials captured 53 wild American bison on February 8th inside the Stephens Creek bison trap located within Yellowstone National Park's borders. The captured bison are members of the last wild, genetically intact population existing in the United States, and number fewer than 4,600. Most, if not all, will be sent to slaughter without being tested for brucellosis antibodies.
The bison were captured for following their natural migratory instincts and walking onto habitat that is privately owned by the Church Universal & Triumphant (CUT). CUT land hosts fewer than 250 head of cattle. Wild bison are also refused access to publicly owned Gallatin National Forest lands adjacent to Yellowstone National Park and CUT property. In the winter months, grasslands in the Park are obscured by deep snow and bison and other wild ungulates venture to lower-elevation habitat where they find critical forage necessary for survival.
George Cadman of Free Radio Santa Cruz interviews Mike Meese, co-founder and campaign coordinator for the Buffalo Field Campaign. Read More and Listen to the Interview
see also: Hey Park Service! Don't bulldoze Yellowstone buffalo just so I can stay on my side of the double yellow line || Previous Coverage
On February 2nd, a number of animal rights/liberation activists demonstrated for about three hours outside of J.Malnick Clothing at 1901 Broadway St. in Downtown Oakland. J.Malnick is Oakland's only major fur retailer, which sells both full length fur coats and fur-trimmed items as part of their inventory.
Activists turned many customers away (who vowed to never shop there again) much to the dismay of the store's employees. The activists were repeatedly harrassed and threatened by Mr. Malnick who taunted the activists. One employee (pictured) threatened to "slap the shit out of" the activists. Read More
Previous Indybay Coverage
On January 9th, Peter Young spoke at the Long Haul in Berkeley prior to a screening of "Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals." Peter says that the film was not intended to entertain, but rather to confront viewers with their own inaction and pull the mask away from the people in the movie so that viewers see themselves. He emphasized that there are no experts in direct action or animal rights actions and that "every single one of us is an animal liberator."
In 1997, Peter Young freed 8,000 - 10,000 mink and foxes from various fur farms in a two-week road trip across three midwestern states. In 1998, indictments were handed down for the arrest of Peter Young and accomplice Justin Samuel. After nearly 7 years on the run, federal authorities captured Peter Young in San Jose in 2005 and he served almost two years in prison until his release in early 2007.
Read More and Watch Video | Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals | Behind the Mask torrent
During the early hours of January 15th, two crew members of the Sea Shepherd vessel, 'Steve Irwin', were taken hostage by the Japanese harpoon vessel 'Yushin Maru No. 2'. The incident occurred in the area of 60 Degrees South and 78 Degrees East about 2500 miles southwest of Fremantle, Western Australia and 2800 miles southeast of Cape Town, South Africa. Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane boarded the vessel to deliver a letter to the Japanese captain stating that the whalers were in violation of international conservation law by targeting endangered species in an established whale sanctuary and in violation of a global moratorium on commercial whaling. The hostage situation ended on January 17th.
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