I admit it – I love animals, all of them – domestic, farm and wild animals. In each of them there is a simple beauty that crosses the communications line with humans. Anyone who has had a domestic pet that has become part of the family knows that when you look into their eyes, there is an understanding that transcends human communication.
No, they can’t talk – but they do speak to us, and we understand.
This communication is one of the reasons that when it becomes public that “domestic” animals have been used in laboratory and other testing or face other mistreatment, people get loud and furious.
This is exactly what happened when it became public, and reported in WND, that Dr. Anthony Fauci was involved in funding experiments that used beagle puppies and ended with their deaths. The Washington Post investigated dog experiments – taxpayer-funded procedures under the auspices of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
The report involved the research and reporting of investigative reporter Glenn Greenwald and the organization White Coat Waste Project. That organization reported that it has documents showing that Fauci’s Institute paid $424,455 to the University of Georgia in 2020 to infect 28 beagles with disease-causing parasites. Pictures of the pups lying with their heads in a net-tent so they could be infected by the parasitic biting flies caused outrage. The report also noted that the dogs’ vocal cords were cut so their crying could not be heard. At the end of the experiment, the dogs were euthanized.
Essentially, they were disposable.
This revelation became nationally newsworthy and caused a number of elected officials to demand more information about the whole issue of dog experimentation. It is an ongoing business and is largely unregulated. Little attention is paid to it even though thousands of dollars are involved annually – both for the raising of the animals and the labs involved in the testing.
In the reporting of the story, a lot of press attention was given to the White Coat Waste Project – an organization I recently became acquainted with. As someone on the mailing list of many animal-rights organizations, I began getting mail from the group and became interested in their work.
There are many groups looking at such animal cruelties, and they focus on different animals. While the recent news was about puppy cruelty, cats also are the target of cruel testing. PETA reports more than 18,000 cats a year are the victims of lab testing – drilling holes in their skulls, deafening them, implanting electrodes into their bodies and applying chemicals to their skins.
Many of these animals are procured from “shelters” that are supposed to protect them.
There are a number of proposed laws in Congress dealing with some of these problems. One is the Puppy Protection Act (H.R.2840/S.1385), which tightens the regulations facing dog breeders and upgrades dog care standards.
There also is the Humane Cosmetics Act, which seeks to end new animal testing for cosmetics which are said to be essentially unnecessary.
Also, there is the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (H.T.2811/S.1106).
It’s estimated that annually some 73 million sharks are traded internationally. Most are caught, have their fins cut off and are then thrown into the sea to perish. Some populations have dropped nearly 90%.. This law, if passed, would strengthen the U.S. ban on shark finning.
Then there is the abuse of horses – a real problem most are not aware of. The PAST Act – S. 2295, Prevent All Soring Tactics. This new law would end the system of industry self-policing, end the use of soring devices and strengthen penalties.
Soring is the practice of causing damage to and pain to the hooves and legs of Tennessee Walking Horses. Unscrupulous trainers use caustic chemicals, chains, weights, sharp objects, cutting and other gruesome techniques to cause pain to the animals resulting in an artificially high-stepping gait and thereby gain unfair advantage at horse shows.
It’s all illegal, but it continues.
Even horse racing has its dangers. Just this week, another filly died from a training injury at the Santa Anita track in California. Four-year-old Star of Africa suffered a non-musculoskeletal injury on Saturday.
She had a good record – three wins in six career starts and earnings of $90,440.
Star of Africa was the fifth horse to die from a training or racing injury during the fall meet in Arcadia, from October 1-31.
According to Associated Press, 19 horses have died at Santa Anita during this season; there were 20 deaths in 2020.
In 2018-19, 37 horses died there – causing an uproar that led the track owner, The Stronach Group, to enact new track rules.
Another area dealing with horses is the annual round-up of wild horses – wild mustangs – by the Bureau of Land Management. Mainly using helicopters, the horses are rounded up and transferred to corrals, where they are supposed to be cared for – forever. But many are sold to “kill buyers” and sold into Mexico where they are slaughtered and sold internationally for human consumption. I won’t go into the gruesome details of how they are killed.
Our wild horses are supposed to be protected by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which was signed into law in 1971. The intent was to protect and preserve them – but it isn’t working that way.
If this continues, ultimately, there will be no wild horses left.
There is a round-up underway now (through February) with the intent of capturing 4,397 mustangs. People in the states involved are furious, but so far the reaction from Washington has led to nothing.
Concerned citizens who want this stopped, should contact Secretary of the Interior Deborah Haaland.
There is also the harrowing story of how wild animals – lions, tigers and others – are raised or imported for the sole purpose of “trophy hunting” in this country. The proposed ProTECT Act deals with “prohibiting threatened and endangered creature trophies.” It would ban the import or raising of threatened or endangered species for the purpose of sport hunting, which, by the way, is very expensive for the hunter.
As you can see, the issue of our treatment – or mistreatment, as it were – of animals of all kinds is complicated. If you care, become an activist for them – they need all the help we can give them.
Follow Barbara Simpson on Facebook.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!
This article was originally published by the WND News Center.
