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![handle is hein.animal/awiqu0034 and id is 1 raw text is:
THE
ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE
QUARTERLY
PO BOX 3650
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20007
SPRING 1985
VOL. 34 NO. 1
Animal (mis)handlers are getting away with murder
On 7 February three squirrel monkeys died from exposure to extreme
cold either before or during a flight from New York to San Francisco. On
the same day a pigtail monkey died from exposure to extreme cold either
before or during a flight from New York to Michigan. On each occasion
the carrier responsible was Emery Worldwide.
From time to time such cases come
to light, charges are brought under
the Animal Welfare Act and we (and
others) report on them. But it is now
plain that we (and others) must recast
our ideas as to how frequent these
accidents are. Estimates made on
the basis of known cases are almost
certainly well below the true figure.
We base this assertion on the facts
surrounding this case and on infor-
mation received from an employee
of Emery. He makes two main points.
One, Emery is not equipped to handle
live animal shipments nor are its per-
sonnel trained to ensure the health
and safety of animals. Two, animals
left unattended on loading docks in
sub-zero temperatures are almost
certain to die.
Now what our informant says about
Emery is doubtless no less true of
many other carriers. As to his second
point-a city like New York can expect
many days of extreme cold in winter
and many days of extreme heat in
summer. For cooped up animals, pro-
longed exposure to either extreme
will be fatal.
But what of the other facts surround-
ing this case? The recipient of the
three dead squirrel monkeys, the
Animal Care Facility at the University
of California, San Francisco, wrote to
the shipper requesting replacements.
And the shipper wrote to the carrier
demanding compensation [but with-
out voicing even the mildest of re-
proofs for the cruel thoughtlessness
that slew the animals]. Neither party
saw fit to report what was clearly a
flagrant breach of the Animal Welfare
Act.
If this apathetic reaction, this con-
spiracy of silence, is typical-and there
is no reason to suppose otherwise-
then a great many offences of this
kind are occurring. And the offenders
are seldom punished because USDA,
the agency responsible for enforcing
the Animal Welfare Act, is seldom
told.
U
Hopefully this squirrel monkey will never
find himself going air freight from dealer
to laboratory.
That an Animal Care Facility belong-
ing to one of the nation's premier uni-
versities should neglect to report such
a plain case of maltreatment is shame-
ful. And a little surprising. That the
shipper should feel that his duty in
the matter has been fully discharged
by mailing a claim for compensation is
no less shameful. Though in this case,
not at all surprising.
For the shipper in question was
none other than the world's largest
supplier of laboratory animals, Charles
River-to whom regular readers of
the Quarterly will need no further intro-
duction.
Z. This bill would end steel-jaw trapping
Trapped in a steel-jaw leghold. This German
Shepherd was not the target species but it
got caught just the same. Such accidents
are not uncommon: see page 5.
A bill to end the use of the steel-jaw leghold
trap, HR 1809, was introduced in Congress
in March by Tom Lantos (D-CA) withJames
Scheuer (D-NY) as chief co-sponsor. They
arejoined by 70 members of the House in a
major push to see the proposal enacted into
law. With the solid support of the American
public and the vigorous encouragement of
groups around the nation, the United States
could, in this Congressional session, join
the more than 60 countries who prohibit use
of this device.
A recently published selection of letters
addressed to George Whitney, DVM, exem-
plifies professional opinion on the steel-jaw
trap. Excerpts follow:
It is impossible for me to understand how our civi-
lization and culture can tolerate the use of the leg-
hold trap.
Samuel M. Peacock, Jr., MD
Associate Professor
Jefferson Medical College
Hopefully the growing awareness of the excruci-
ating pain that this device inflicts upon animals will
be accompanied by legislation to outlaw its use.
Leo J. Hickey, Director
Peabody Museum of Natural
History
Yale University
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