Prof Stephen Zunes addresses Kosovo Declaration of Independence & US reaction

On February 26, 2008, I interviewed Professor Stephen Zunes about Kosovo's recent declaration of independence and the reaction of the US government. Listen Here

Kosovo's Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia with Western backing on February 17. Serbs in the north reject the secession, fueling fears that the country is destined for partition, and may trigger a Serb secession from Bosnia.

Stephen Zunes is a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus (http://www.fpif.org). From 1996 to 1999, he served as chair of the board of Peaceworkers, a U.S.-based group supporting the nonviolent struggle of the Kosovar Albanians and other nonviolent movements and peacemakers in areas of conflict.

His article "Kosovo and The Politics Of Recognition" can be found at http://www.stephenzunes.org or http://www.fpif.org

Farm Sanctuary responds to Biggest Beef Recall in US History

On February 19, 2008, I interviewed Tricia Barry, communications director for Farm Sanctuary, about the recent recall of 143 million pounds of beef by a Chino, CA slaughterhouse. It is the biggest beef recall in US History. The recall came after the Humane Society of the United States accused Westland/Hallmark of abusing downed cattle, releasing video that showed workers kicking cows, jabbing them near their eyes, ramming them with a forklift and shooting high-intensity water up their noses in an effort to force them to their feet for slaughter. Federal inspectors halted operations at the plant earlier this month after finding "clear violations" of USDA regulations. California prosecutors on Friday announced animal cruelty charges against two former employees of the plant. Listen Here

Press Release Below

In Light of Largest Beef Recall in US History, Farm Sanctuary Asks, "Why not pork?"

No Downers Campaign Documents More Than 20 Years of Abuse; Urges Federal Legislation to End Marketing of All Downed Animals

WASHINGTON, DC - February 18, 2008 - The largest meat recall in U.S. history (143 million pounds of beef from the Hallmark/Westland slaughter plant) has awakened national concerns over food safety, while shedding light on an ongoing practice of the meat packing industry - downed animals, those too sick, diseased or weak to stand, are entering the human food supply. No laws or government agency policies currently prevent downed pigs, sheep, goats or other livestock from going to slaughter for human consumption.

For more than 20 years, through its No Downers Campaign, Farm Sanctuary has documented abuse of non-ambulatory animals and worked for passage of the first laws in this country to end the marketing of downed cattle. Today, the nation's leading farm animal protection organization is reiterating its call for the passage of The Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act (HR 661 S 394) which would ban the slaughter of all downed animals, including pigs, sheep and other livestock. Farm Sanctuary is also calling on the USDA to close the current loophole that allows some downed cattle to continue to go to slaughter, and to prevent diseased animals from being used for human food.

Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, who has investigated stockyards and slaughterhouses documenting violations of USDA policy, the federal Methods of Humane Slaughter Act and state anti-cruelty laws for 22 years, stated, "We've had scores, if not hundreds, of phone calls, letters and emails with the USDA over the years related specifically to downed animal concerns and their reaction is about as predictable as the cruelty witnessed at Hallmark/Westland."

Julie Janovsky, Farm Sanctuary's director of campaigns, stated, "If it takes a recall of 143 million pounds of beef to change policy, then so be it, but the USDA hasn't protected our nation's children who already ate the burgers, and who continue to eat other downed animal products. We can only hope that Congress' reaction to public outrage is swift and thorough. Legislation is in play with the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act. It's time to enact it."

Farm Sanctuary has rescued 226 cattle since its inception (146 through the New York shelter and 80 through the California shelter.) Of these, 79 were downed animals rescued during investigations at stockyards and slaughterhouses throughout the U.S.

Jeff Lydon, executive director at Farm Sanctuary added, "I wish we were as shocked as the USDA claims to be by these blatant acts of animal cruelty inflicted at the Chino slaughterhouse, but our experience with these facilities suggests that continued violations under the current system are inevitable."

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at http://www.farmsanctuary.org

Over 130 Wild Buffalo Slaughtered in Yellowstone: up to 275 total wil be sent to slaughter

Over 130 wild buffalo have been slaughtered by the National Park Service in Yellowstone. They have captured a total of 275 and plan to slaughter all of them. On February 19, 2008, I spoke with Stephany Seay of the Buffalo Field Campaign about the real reasons behind the slaughter, what they are doing to fight this and how people can get involved. Listen Here


Press Release Below

ADVOCATES TO HOLD WEEK OF ACTION AS YELLOWSTONE BISON SLAUGHTER CONTINUES
For Immediate Release: February 14, 2008
Contact: Buffalo Field Campaign, Stephany Seay, 646-0070

GARDINER & WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT: Wild bison advocates, including Buffalo Field Campaign, plan a Week of Action from February 14 through February 21. The Week of Action will draw national 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. There are fewer than 4,500 wild, genetically intact American bison living in the United States. Wild bison are ecologically extinct everywhere outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Since Friday, February 8, 169 American bison (or buffalo) have been captured from within Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service, under pressure from Montana's livestock industry, has been running the capture operations at the Stephens Creek bison trap located inside Yellowstone's boundaries.

View video of Yellowstone bison in the Stephens Creek Capture Facility: www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/videoaudio/Gardiner2004.mov

"Yellowstone National Park is doing the bidding of Montana's livestock industry at the expense of the bison," said Stephany Seay of Buffalo Field Campaign. "These bison are our national heritage, a keystone species critical to the ecological health of native grasslands and sacred to First Nations. The American people want the slaughter to stop now."

On Friday, the Park Service captured 54 bison; on Sunday, 41 bison; on Tuesday 44 bison; and on Wednesday, they captured 30 bison. All will be shipped to slaughterhouses. According to Yellowstone officials, the 17 calves that were originally going to be sent to the Corwin Springs research facility are now instead being sent to slaughter. 44 bison were shipped to slaughter facilities from Yellowstone this morning.

These actions are being taken to appease Montana's cattle interests, who claim they fear the spread of brucellosis from wild bison to cattle. There has never been a documented case of wild bison transmitting the livestock disease brucellosis to cattle.

"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."

The bison were captured for following their natural migratory instincts and walking onto or near habitat that is privately owned by the Church Universal & Triumphant (CUT). CUT land hosts fewer than 250 head of cattle. Wild bison are also denied access to publicly owned Gallatin National Forest lands adjacent to Yellowstone National Park and CUT property. Gallatin National Forest lands were originally set aside by Congress in the early 20th century as wildlife winter habitat, as legislators realized Yellowstone did not provide the winter forage needed by ungulates such as bison and elk. 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. Wild bison are the only wildlife confined to Yellowstone's boundaries.

"The Park Service needs to realize that they are responsible for protecting wildlife, not cattle," said Mike Mease, co-founder of Buffalo Field Campaign.

Federal and State actions serving Montana's cattle interests are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of wild bison this year and the death toll is likely to rise significantly.

This season's harsh winter is starting to take a toll on wild bison, who are finding it more difficult and sometimes impossible to crater through the snow to get to critical forage for survival. Snowbanks from highway plowing in the West Yellowstone area are making the bison's migration extremely difficult. Bison are getting trapped along highway 191 and are being hit and killed by vehicles.

2,299 wild American bison have been killed or otherwise removed from the remaining wild population since 2000 under actions carried out by the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), as well as state and treaty hunts. The IBMP is a joint state-federal plan that prohibits wild bison from migrating to lands outside of Yellowstone's boundaries. Wild American bison are a migratory species native to vast expanses of North America and are ecologically extinct everywhere in the United States outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Buffalo Field Campaign strongly opposes the Interagency Bison Management Plan and maintains that wild bison should be allowed to naturally and fully recover throughout their historic native range, especially on public lands.

http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

53 Wild Buffalo Captured in Yellowstone and Facing Slaughter

Yellowstone National Park officials captured 53 of America's last wild buffalo Friday morning 2/8/08.
National Park officials intend to slaughter without testing; calves may be slaughtered or sent to experimental quarantine facility.

On Saturday, February 9, 2008, I interviewed Mike Meese, co-founder and campaign coordinator for the Buffalo Field Campaign. Listen here

Press Release below:

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK CAPTURES 53 OF AMERICA'S LAST WILD BISON
Park Intends to Slaughter Without Testing;
Calves May Be Sent to Experimental Quarantine Facility
For Immediate Release, February 8, 2008
Contact: Buffalo Field Campaign, Stephany Seay 406-646-0070

GARDINER, MONTANA - Yellowstone National Park officials captured 53 wild American bison this morning 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 National Park Service is caving in to the unreasonable demands of Montana's livestock industry at the expense of an American icon, our national heritage," said Stephany Seay, media coordinator for Buffalo Field Campaign.

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.

Yellowstone National Park officials said they will send the adult bison to slaughter without first testing them for exposure to brucellosis.

Bison calves may be tested for brucellosis antibodies. If testing occurs, those testing negative for antibodies will be sent to a state-federal quarantine feasibility study facility, while the rest will be slaughtered. More than half of the calves previously captured and quarantined by the government have been slaughtered, while the rest are being raised in pens like livestock.
Cattle interests claim such actions are necessary to prevent the spread of brucellosis, a livestock disease introduced to native wildlife in the early 20th century, from wild bison to cattle. However, there has never been a documented case of wild bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle.

"In one day the National Park Service is sending more than half as many bison to slaughter as have been killed during Montana's entire three-month bison hunt," said Mike Mease, co-founder of Buffalo Field Campaign. "When will the Park Service understand that they are in charge of protecting our wildlife, not protecting cattle interests?"

2,120 wild American bison have been killed or otherwise removed from the remaining wild population since 2000 under actions carried out by the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), as well as state and treaty hunts. The IBMP is a joint state-federal plan that prohibits wild bison from migrating to lands outside of Yellowstone's boundaries.

Wild American bison are a migratory species native to vast expanses of North America and are ecologically extinct everywhere in the United States outside of Yellowstone National Park.
Buffalo Field Campaign strongly opposes the Interagency Bison Management Plan and maintains that wild bison should be allowed to naturally and fully recover themselves throughout their historic native range, especially on public lands.

Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field, every day, to stop the slaughter of the wild American buffalo. Volunteers defend the buffalo and their native habitat and advocate for their lasting protection. Buffalo Field Campaign has proposed real alternatives to the current mismanagement of American bison that can be viewed at
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/solutions.html. For more information, video clips and photos visit: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org.