September 22, 2014 | News Releases
For Immediate Release: September 22, 2014
(Fort Meade, FL) — “Lydia,” an Asian elephant who was born in the wild in Thailand but spent her entire life in the circus, died in May 2013 in rural Fort Meade, Florida. Her death came to light only recently as a result of a public records request from the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF).
For the last three decades of her life, Lydia was owned by David Tesch, a circus elephant handler.
Beginning in 1998, Lydia spent the summer months performing and giving rides at York’s Wild Kingdom in York Beach, Maine. Lydia “retired” after the 2011 season.
Elephants are intelligent and social animals. In the wild, female elephants stay with their mothers and with their family group for their entire lives. Sadly, Lydia was forced to live alone, traveling the country performing at small venues and with disreputable circuses. Lydia was denied the opportunity to socialize or build relationships with other elephants.
Lydia was approximately 66 years old at the time of her death.
“It is sad that such a magnificent animal, a member of an endangered species, can die alone and unnoticed in a backyard in Polk County,” said ARFF Campaigns Coordinator Nick Atwood. “Lydia’s death heightens our concerns that other solitary elephants in Florida could fall through the cracks after a life of exploitation.”
Currently there are at least three female elephants in Florida living a solitary existence. These elephants deserve retirement to a sanctuary where they could find freedom from constant travel and an opportunity for normal social relationships.
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September 10, 2014 | News & Information
I
n June 2013, laboratory animal supplier Primate Products closed its monkey quarantine facility in Doral. The building stood empty until recently. We don’t know if Primate Products has reopened the facility permanently or if it’s only temporary.
On August 6 an inspector with the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited the facility and measured high heat and humidity in a room holding 120 long-tailed macaques. Unlike animals in the wild, these monkeys confined inside metal cages are not able to regulate their body temperature by finding shade or water. Temperature extremes can cause significant stress and discomfort. As in humans, monkeys can suffer and die from heat stroke.
The USDA inspector took four measurements over a period of four hours. The heat index, what the temperature feels like to the body when humidity is combined with the air temperature, was between 94 and 96 degrees Fahrenheit.
Protection from temperature extremes is a basic requirement of the Animal Welfare Act. Primate Products was cited for the violation and ordered to correct the problem.
August 19, 2014 | News & Information
According to a recent article in the New York Times, biologists in Florida consider the tegu to be the “most troublesome invasive species in the Everglades.” The lizards arrived in Florida through the pet trade. The tegus in the Everglades are descended from released or escaped pets.
The National Reptile Breeders’ Expo concluded on Sunday in Daytona Beach. It’s one of the largest reptile industry shows in the country. Many of the vendors at the show, including Snakes at Sunset (Miami) and Underground Reptiles (Deerfield Beach), offer tegus for sale.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is negligent in allowing the breeding and sale of tegus.
You Can Help
It is illegal to buy or sell Burmese pythons as pets in Florida. The FWC has proposed a ban on the breeding of lionfish, another animal of concern (it is already prohibited to import lionfish into Florida). Please ask the FWC to also act to stop the breeding and sale of tegus as pets in Florida.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Email: Commissioners@MyFWC.com
Online comment form.
August 15, 2014 | News Releases
For Immediate Release: August 15, 2014
(Boca Raton, FL) – On opening day of Florida’s alligator hunting season, activists with the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will protest the sport hunting of alligators at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.
In 2014, for the first time, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will allow sport hunting of alligators at the refuge. The hunt is the only alligator hunt in the entire National Wildlife Refuge system.
WHAT: Alligator hunting protest
WHEN: Friday, August 15 at 6:00pm
WHERE: Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, southern entrance; 6 miles west of the junction of Loxahatchee Road (US 827) and US 441
“The Refuge should be a place where alligators and other animals are protected from harm, not hunted for sport or profit,” said ARFF Communications Director Don Anthony. “The suffering of alligators during public hunts in Florida is undeniable. Alligators are snagged with barbed hooks, pierced with arrows, and stabbed with harpoons. Death is rarely quick and alligators may be left to suffer long after being pulled from the water. It is disgusting that someone would enjoy inflicting pain and causing suffering to an animal.”
Visit ARFF’s website for more information about Florida’s alligator hunt: www.arff.org/alligators
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June 24, 2014 | News & Information
This week, Miami New Times reported on t-shirt shops selling dead baby sharks as souvenirs. The sharks, by-products of the commercial fishing industry, are preserved inside bottles of blue alcohol/water solution.
We don’t know why a tourist would be interested in buying the body of a dead shark. The items have been sold in tourist shops in Florida and across the country for years, but New Times reported that they may be losing their appeal. A manager at one store in Miami Beach told the paper, “We’re getting rid of them because so many people have complained.”
One of the biggest retailers of the bottled dead sharks is Alvin’s Island, a chain with 12 stores in Florida. Please contact Alvin’s Island and ask them to stop selling bottled sharks in their stores. Contact:
Eliezer Tabib, President
Alvin’s Island
Phone: (305) 471-9394
Email: eliezertabib@marcodestin.net
Online comment form.
One source of the bottled dead sharks is a Fort Lauderdale-based company, Holiday Souvenirs. Please contact the company and ask them to no longer sell bottled shark souvenirs. Contact:
Manuel and Barbara Pascal
Holiday Souvenirs
Phone: (800) 521-4302 or (954) 564-6134
Email: hsshells@bellsouth.net, info@holidaysouvenirs.com
Sharks are magnificent creatures who are essential to the ocean ecosystem, but shark populations are dwindling around the world.
