Have you seen Miami Beach’s flock of sheep?

sheep

During an August 19 visit, a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector counted 114 sheep inside the Pearlman Biomedical Research Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. (The two-story, nondescript building at the north end of the medical center complex can be seen from the Julia Tuttle Causeway.)

Sheep are used at Mount Sinai in studying asthma and other lung diseases. A 2012 study was typical of the research. A group of sheep were restrained in a “modified shopping cart,” with their heads immobilized. A tube was inserted into the nostril and a nebulizer used to deliver a toxin into the lungs.

Research using sheep has been going on at Mount Sinai Medical Center since at least 1982. In 2003 the Sun Sentinel published an article in which former employees told horrible stories of animal mistreatment, including sheep left unattended in shopping carts that sometimes fell over (leaving one sheep with broken legs), another sheep found dead with her neck caught in cage bars, and sheep killed by malfunctioning nebulizers.

Sheep are intelligent animals who experience fear, boredom and despair. We’re certain that sheep would rather be anywhere else than stuck inside a building in Miami Beach.

Photo: Farm Sanctuary

Good news for dogs in St. Lucie County

dog-chainLast week, the St. Lucie County Commission unanimously approved a strong anti-tethering ordinance, making it illegal to tie up a dog outdoors unless a guardian is outside along with the dog. Commissioners also adopted new standards to protect guard dogs.

Please thank the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners for their compassionate vote. Click here to send a note to commissioners.

Continuous chaining is bad for dogs. Dogs are very social animals who suffer from isolation. Chained dogs are much more likely to become aggressive. In addition, dogs confined on chains are at risk of becoming tangled and injured, are more likely to have skin problems and problems with parasites, and are often exposed to bad weather.

A growing number of cities and counties in Florida have enacted ordinances banning or restricting the cruel tethering/chaining of dogs, including Broward, Collier, Escambia, Hillsborough, Manatee, Marion, Miami-Dade, Okaloosa, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota and Seminole Counties.

Miami Int’l Airport protest against Air France monkey shipments

For Immediate Release: September 2, 2015

(Miami, FL) — Activists with the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will protest curbside at Miami International Airport against the transport of monkeys to laboratories. The protest will target Air France, the only major airline that continues to be involved in the cruel international trade in primates.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 2 from 4:00-5:30pm

WHERE: Miami International Airport, South Terminal, Concourse H, 2nd Level

(The airport has permitted ARFF to protest in “First Amendment zones” outside the terminal building.)

In 2014, Air France transported thousands of monkeys from the African island of Mauritius to the U.S. to be used in experiments. For these highly intelligent and sensitive animals, the long-distance journey to a U.S. laboratory is traumatic.

There is a growing list of airlines that refuse to transport monkeys for the research industry. Some of the airlines that have made this compassionate decision include American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, British Airways, Air Canada, El Al and Korean Air.

“The international trade in primates causes intolerable cruelty. Air France plays an important role in this horrible trade,” said ARFF Campaigns Coordinator Nick Atwood.

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