Monday, August 23, 2010

Jethro's Birthday

Today is Jethro's Birthday . He is 21 years old, still a young boy. Jethro is a sweet gentle giant and he is a buddy to everyone in the chimp house. He always chooses who he wants to be with from week to week. If Jethro is not moving with the group it means he wants a new friend and will always let us know exactly who he wants to be with. Lately his preferred friends have been Pepper ,Sue Ellen, Spock and Binky. Jethro is very playful and makes the cutest play face. He is the most playful in the morning just prior to cleaning...a little tickle and kiss on the forehead and he is a happy guy. Jethro has been spending much of his time out on the islands and making sure his girl Pepper is always close by!

Why not adopt Jethro for someone special in your life.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Sue Ellen & Pepper

Sue Ellen and Pepper have been in the sky walk lately with alternating friends coming to join them each week..last week it was Jethro and this week it is a bunch of girls together...Pepper, Sue Ellen, Rachel and Chance...so far so good.
Sue Ellen et Pepper ont passé beaucoup de temps ces derniers temps dans la passerelle aérienne en compagnie de différents amis chaque semaine... La semaine dernière, c'était Jethro and cette semaine c'était la gang de filles (Pepper, Sue Ellen, Rachel et Chance)... Tout va bien jusqu'à maintenant!
Photo by: Kim Belley
This morning we picked all the fresh grown garden veggies and seeing that Pepper and Suzie are the folks that enjoy it the most I made them a special platter and brought it up to them in the tunnel.
Ce matin nous avons cueillis tous les légumes frais du jardin et sachant que Pepper et Suzie sont celles qui l'apprécie le plus, je leur ai fait une assiette spéciale et leur ai amené dans le tunnel.
Photo by: Kim Belley
They just adored all the fresh lettuce and the green beans!! You can hear all the lip smacking action in the video...if you look closely you will notice that Pepper has a measuring tape around her wrist. Taken from our Construction theme day enrichment!!

Elles ont adoré la laitue et les haricots frais!! Vous pouvez entendre toute l'action des babines en vidéo... Si vous regardez attentivement vous remarquerez que Pepper a un ruban à mesurer autour du poignet. Il provient de notre journée d'enrichissement dont le thème était la construction.

Here is the video / Voici le video

Fauna Turtles/Tortues à Fauna

While driving from the farm to the chimp house one afternoon there were geese all huddled around what looked like a rock...they were making quite a ruckus....and this is what it was all about....
En route de la ferme vers la Maison des chimpanzés, il y avait des oies réunies autour de ce qui semblait être une roche... Ils faisaient tout un tapage! Et voici de quoi il s'agissait...

I then understood why...a huge snapping turtle...actually this is a small one compared to the one we saw last year!!
J'ai donc compris pourquoi... une énorme tortue serpentine... en fait celle-ci est petite si on la compare à celle que nous avons vu l'an dernier!

Special Volunteers

This month Fauna has had some amazing volunteers come by and help out!!

Kathy Bocsi and Jeff Shimizu have been long time supporters of Fauna and decided to come and spend the day volunteering. They brought along tons of gifts for all the Chimps and had an amazing day gardening around the farm and the chimp house!!

Dale Hepburn had been to visit Fauna in April and was very touched by the Chimps and wanted to come back and volunteer. Dale spent a week here at Fauna volunteering with our gardeners and in the Chimp House...we had good time unpacking all the amazing enrichment items Dale had accumulated over the months.

Seann & Carole Burgess were quite a special couple to meet and spend time with. Seann; Caroles' husband had been planning this volunteer day and visit since the beginning of the year for his wife. It was a surprise for their 25th wedding anniversary. Carole had no idea where she was going until she made it to Fauna. She was so taken by the realisation of where she actually was and her first encounter with the Chimps she started to cry . We were all sucking it in to try not to cry ourselves by seeing how happy and overwhelmed Carole was. Seann and Carole helped us out making snack bags for the chimps. We are quite sure Carole had and amazing 25th anniversary!!

We also had the pleasure of having volunteers from "Les Jardins de la Terre" (Vanessa,Catherine,Dominica,Karine,Mathieu,Bruno,Mathieu,Philippe,Étienne,Jean-David,Danielle) to help out in the gardens. They gave us a huge hand in keeping everything beautiful around the farm and the Chimp house. Les Jardins de la Terre are a non-profit organisation that help people under 30 years of age that have problems integrating the work force. www.jardinsdelaterre.org

Dearly Departed

It is with great regret that we must announce the passing of some of Faunas' residents

This July has taken it's toll on all here at Fauna, human and non-human.

Sweet Papa Cat left us on the 5th of July

Bubunikins one of our rabbits on July 8th

photo by: Kim Belley

And our dear horse Jethro on July 18th. Jethro was one of faunas' first horse rescues. He was a carriage horse in downtown Montreal. Jethro was 36 years old and had an amazing life at Fauna with his great friend McLeod. McLeod has been coping well, seeing, he is not alone. He is with Eyore the donkey, but occasionally we can hear him calling out and standing close to the looking out over at the farm wonder if he is just inside and when his dear friend will be back..

photo by: Phil Vinois

Norman one of Faunas' older cows born here at Fauna from his rescued mom Sweetie is 19 years old. His health has been failing lately. We are greatly concerned and are keeping a close eye on him and hopefully he will still be with us for as long as he is able, comfortable and happy.


May our dear friends rest in peace, they will be missed.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Gene Hackman Gets Behind 200 Retired Chimpanzees

By Sam Brand (http://www.tonic.com/contributor/sam-brand/)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 4:25 PM ET

http://www.tonic.com/article/gene-hackman-gets-behind-200-retired-chimpanzees/

The actor and novelist takes up the cause of hundreds of former victims of animal testing currently threatened with a return trip to the laboratory.

Gene Hackman (http://www.tonic.com/people/gene-hackman/)
doesn't want his neighbors to leave town. Funny, considering they're a bunch of old apes.

Two hundred chimpanzees housed at the Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico (http://www.tonic.com/place/new-mexico/ )
are threatened with deportation to a Texas lab (http://www.tonic.com/place/texas/ )

known for conducting animal experiments. The chimps, some more than 30 years old, have been through it before. They're all retired test subjects.

Hackman, who lives in Santa Fe, is doing his part to make sure they stay at a facility that has been the chimps' home for almost ten years. He sent a letter, obtained by Tonic, to Dr. Fancis S. Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health, (http://www.tonic.com/cause/national-institutes-of-health/ )


which owns the Alamogordo Primate Facility.

"Scientists around the world have largely stopped experimenting on chimpanzees, in part because these animals just haven't proven to be good models for human health research," Hackman writes. "The United States is the last developed country on earth still making large-scale use of chimpanzees in invasive experiments."

Those experiments don't happen at Alamogordo, which has provided "for the long-term care and husbandry of chimpanzees [who] have been used in biomedical research" since 2001, according to the NIH. "No active, invasive research is conducted" at the facility, the second largest chimp laboratory facility in the US, according to Project R&R. (http://www.releasechimps.org/labs/labs-with-chimpanzees/alamogordo-primate-facility/ )

That could change when a 10-year contract signed by private operator Charles River Labs lapses in several months.

Hackman's passion for the animals isn't an act — he retired from Hollywood five years ago.

"As you know, efforts to save the Alamogordo chimpanzee have drawn support from Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Tom Udall, and many other people around the state and across the country," he writes to Dr. Collins. "I join them in urging you to fulfill the National Institutes of Health's goal to 'exemplify and promote the highest level of scientific integrity, public accountability, and social responsibility in the conduct of science' by allowing these chimpanzees to live out their lives in the safety of a sanctuary."

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Project R&R Action Alert

senate, button

Dear NEAVS Supporter,

I’m writing with exciting breaking news: Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have introduced the Great Ape Protection Act (S.3694) in the U.S. Senate, lending bipartisan support to end the use of great apes in invasive research.

NEAVS/Project R&R Science Director Dr. Jarrod Bailey recently met with Senator Cantwell and several other legislators, explaining how ending chimpanzee research would have no negative impact on human health. Dr. Bailey provided the Congress members with abstracts of NEAVS/Project R&R’s scientific papers, along with a list of over 700 scientists who have pledged their support for ending the use of chimpanzees in invasive research, demonstrating impressive scientific support for this legislation.

The House version (H.R. 1326) of the Great Ape Protection Act currently has 149 cosponsors. We thank all of you for your hard work in getting your federal representatives to sign on.

Now it’s time to build the list of Senate cosponsors and we need your help!

take action


U.S. residents: click here to locate federal senators. And please, pass this information on to neighbors/friends.

It will take only a few minutes and it will make all the difference for the chimpanzees. If needed, please direct your senator’s office to Project R&R or (617) 523-6020 for further information.

Not a U.S. resident? Please sign our World Solidarity petition.

Thank you for taking action on behalf of animals in labs!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Saturday Aug.7th...Protest...for Horse-drawn carriages


**The Truth Behind Tradition**

A horse pulling tourists on the streets of Old Quebec, had to be put down Tuesday night. The horse collapsed IN IT'S TRACKS due to dehydration and exhaustion. He suffered heart failure and could not be resuscitated.
Every year, the list of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages grows, and horses continue to endure pain and suffering because of this OUTDATED practice. Forcing horses to pull oversized loads is NOT ROMANTIC, it's CRUEL.
These gentle animals suffer from respiratory ailments because they breathe in exhaust fumes and they develop debilitating leg problems. In many cases, horses have dropped dead from heatstroke after working in scorching summer heat and humidity. If this treatment isn't bad enough, once these horses are too old or ill, they ARE NOT retired to green pastures as we are led to BELIEVE, instead, horses are slaughtered and turned into dog food or sent overseas for human consumption. A sad end to a sad life.
Join us as well as NHL star and dedicated activist Georges Laraque on Saturday, August 7th, in an effort to give these gentle creatures a voice and some much deserved justice. On this day we will urge Montreal to join the following cities around the world , in their ban on horse-drawn carriages:

*** London, Oxford, Paris, Beijing, Toronto, Tel Aviv, Key West, Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Reno, Santa Fe, Camden, Biloxi.***

Meet us on the steps of Place Jacques-Cartier in Old Montreal, Between Rue Saint-Paul and Rue Le Royer on Saturday, August 7th @ 12:00 p.m.
There are far better tourist attractions in this beautiful city.

WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO BRING POSTERS AND SIGNS!!!!! BE CREATIVE AND SPEAK YOUR MIND!!!


******************************************************


**Manifestation Contre Les Calèches** (ENGLISH FOLLOWS)

Un cheval tirant des touristes dans les rues du Vieux-Québec a dû être
euthanasié mardi soir. Le cheval s'y est effondré en raison de la
déshydratation et de l'épuisement total. Il a subi un arrêt du cœur et ne
pouvait pas être réanimé.

Chaque année, la liste d'accidents impliquant des calèches grandit et les
chevaux continuent à supporter la douleur à cause de cette pratique...
dépassée. Forçant les chevaux à tirer des calèches avec des chargements
excessivement lourds N’EST PAS ROMANTIQUE … C’EST CRUEL !!!

Ces animaux doux souffrent de maladies respiratoires parce qu'ils aspirent
des gaz d'échappement et ils développent des problèmes de jambe débilitants.
Dans de nombreux cas, les chevaux sont tombés mort du coup de chaleur après
le travail dans la chaleur écrasante et l’humidité. De plus, si ce
traitement n'est pas assez méchant, une fois que ces chevaux sont trop vieux
ou malades, ils NE SONT PAS MIS à la retraite aux pâturages verts comme nous
sommes menés à croire. Plutôt, ils sont abattus pour faire des aliments pour
chiens ou envoyés à l’étranger pour la consommation humaine. Une fin triste
à une vie triste.

Venez nous joindre le samedi 7 août afin de donner une voix à ces créatures
douces et une justice méritée. L’activiste consacré GEORGES LARAQUE (NHL)
serait là. En ce jour, nous recommanderons vivement que Montréal suit l’exemple
des villes suivantes dans leur interdiction de calèches :

*** Londres, Oxford, Paris, Beijing, Toronto, Tel-Aviv, Indexe l'Ouest, Palm
Beach, Las Vegas, Reno, Santa Fe, Camden, Biloxi. ***

OÙ : Place Jacques-Cartier, Vieux-Montréal, entre la rue Saint-Paul et Le
Royer.

QUAND : Samedi 7 août, à 12 h 00.

Dans notre belle ville de Montréal, il existe de bien meilleures attractions
touristiques !

NOUS ENCOURAGEONS CHACUN ET CHACUNE À APPORTER DES AFFICHES ET DES PANNEAUX
! SOYEZ CRÉATIF

NASA Engineer Resigns Over Planned Primate Testing

http://www.savetheprimates.org/news/nasa-engineer-resigns-over-planned-primate-testing

NASA aerospace engineer April Evans has resigned her position as a space architect on the International Space Station (ISS) program as a result of NASA’s decision to conduct primate irradiation testing after 30 years of non-usage, a decision Evans believes is a major step backward for NASA’s animal testing record.

Evans argues that not only do primate irradiation experiments fall out of line with the Obama administration’s long range objective of developing new technologies to shield space radiations, but it also risks current and future international relations and partnerships crucial to NASA’s success.

Take Action! Oppose NASA Space Experiments

Evans’ concerns and opposition to NASA primate testing have been met with support by the European Space Agency (ESA) along with Animal Defenders International (ADI), a campaign group whose objective is legislative action in protection of animals.

In an April 1, 2010 letter to ADI, ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain categorically opposed the “necessity of complementary experiments with monkeys in combination with the human research objectives of Mars500,” and further declined “any interest in monkey research and does not consider any need or use for such result.”

Evans, a nine-year veteran of the Human Spaceflight Program, served as the NASA VIPER ISS Visiting Vehicles Integration team lead for the past three years at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, prior to her resignation. She is a recipient of the NASA Space Flight Awareness Honoree award, a designation granted to fewer than one percent of the total NASA government and contractor workforce annually for their excellence.

“After much deliberation, I resigned from NASA because I could not support the scientific justification for this monkey radiobiology experiment,” wrote Evans in a letter last week to Samuel Aronson, director of the Brookhaven National Laboratory, which was contracted by NASA to conduct the tests on squirrel monkeys.

Instead, Evans has encouraged NASA to focus on developing space radiation shielding. “Both astronauts and hardware are at risk from the space radiation environment. This is a problem that all space agencies will have to solve for interplanetary space travel. Space vehicle radiation shielding is necessary technology for a sustainable long-term human space exploration program.“ Evans said to ADI. She believes that scientists and engineers should be given the chance and time to advance shielding technology.

Pasadena Weekly reported that NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden defended such experimentation calling it “very strongly peer-reviewed” and“very humane.” However, he did not comment on the growing internal debate and apparent contradiction between the proposed test and the new direction NASA received from the Obama administration. “These tests were proposed to support a schedule for space exploration that no longer exists,“ said Evans. “Experiments on primates only take focus away from the critical need for shielding technology.”

She wrote in her letter to Samuel Aronson that “the planned monkey experiment focuses on predicting how the human brain may function after space radiation exposure. This isn’t solving the problem of space radiation; it’s merely further refining our measurements of the consequences”.

Animal Defenders International has also written to NASA and Brookhaven National Laboratory, urging them to consider their European counterpart’s decision to not conduct these tests. “These tests are not only inhumane, they are also not a wise choice of the times. They are costly and scientifically unsupported. We urge NASA to stop ignoring the overwhelming opposition to these tests coming from the international space community, as well as from its own rank” said Jan Creamer, President of ADI. “We also would like to urge other NASA employees who object to these experiments to voice their opposition.”

In the face of a nationwide budgetary crisis, the costs associated with the planned experiments have also raised concern. Reports indicate that these controversial radiation tests will cost an estimated $1.75 million of taxpayer money. Just two weeks ago, however, NASA announced potential layoffs of up to 5,000 workers, while suspending NASA’s back-to-the-moon Constellation program due to budgetary shortages.

Take Action:

Please write a polite letter for the attention of the NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden Jr. Please request that he reconsider financing such horrific experiments.

Public Communications Office,

NASA Headquarters,

Suite 5K39,

Washington, DC

20546-0001

E-mail: public-inquiries@hq.nasa.gov