Search Results for "davenport"
Activists Jailed for Refusing to Testify Before Grand Jury
Published November 17, 2009 @ 04:24PM PT
Two Twin Cities activists have been jailed on contempt charges in Davenport, Iowa, for refusing to cooperate with a federal grand jury investigation into, it is believed, an action taken at a University of Iowa laboratory in 2004. The two were offered limited immunity but still refused to testify about (again, presumably) a break-in that involved vandalism and the rescue of numerous rats and mice. The Minneapolis/St. Paul Star-Tribune and the Quad-City Times have picked up the story.
A "Support Carrie and Scott" blog has been set up where you can read more, including statements from the recently jailed activists themselves. I'll post more on what fellow activists can do to offer support as the situation unfolds.
Seems like a good time to direct activists again to the Center for Constitutional Rights' If An Agent Knocks booklet.
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Photo by Flickr user bloomsberries
Elephant Abuse Charges and Freed Circus Animals in Need of Homes
Published October 29, 2009 @ 02:05PM PT
Two pieces of recent good news in the United States and Bolivia, related to animals abused in entertainment venues, deserve some acknowledgment this month -- especially given that despite the good news, animals in both cases are still in danger and in need of help.
First, in the United States, as In Defense of Animals (IDA) reported late last week, the USDA has finally filed charges against Will Davenport. If you're stopping to ask yourself why that names sounds familiar, it's because he's the elephant handler from whom IDA and other advocates have been trying to rescue abused and sick elephants for year (previous related posts viewable here). According to IDA, "the charges state that 'the gravity of the violations alleged…is great' and that Davenport has 'not shown good faith' in his repeated unwillingness to comply with the AWA and its regulations and standards."
Queenie the Elephant, Left Behind and Alone, Needs Your Help
Published September 08, 2009 @ 04:29PM PT
Photo of Jewel by Barbara Shepler
Shortly after the last time I wrote about elephants Jewel, Tina, and Queenie ("USDA Moves to Rescue Elephant Jewel--Act Today for Jewel and Her Friends") -- three elephants among an unfortunate many being held and neglected in captivity in circuses, zoos, and such -- Jewel and Tina indeed were confiscated by the USDA. The downsides: they were taken to a zoo rather than to sanctuary, and Queenie was left behind.
The statement by In Defense of Animals, which has long been leading the charge to rescue these elephants, on the zoo-related turn of events for Jewel and Tina is pretty well in line with my own conflicted feelings -- that is, the frustration of seeing the elephants end up in a zoo (and seeing Queenie left behind, thus far--more on that as the post continues), when we're simultaneously trying to get elephants out of zoos, coupled with the relief that they're in a better situation than their previous one:
USDA Moves to Rescue Elephant Jewel--Act Today for Jewel and Her Friends
Published August 17, 2009 @ 11:18AM PT
Photo by Barbara Shepler
A month ago, many of you read "Lucky, Tina, Jewel, and Queenie: Speak Up for These Elephants" on this blog--and hopefully, many of you took action too. Now one of those elephants--Jewel--is close to finding safety and sanctuary, but an uncooperative handler and community are impeding the process. Additionally, the USDA is moving to rescue only Jewel, when her companions need their help too--and when separating the bonded elephants would be terribly traumatic for them. Below, I quote In Defense of Animals' just-released action alert in full because it doesn't appear to be available on their site yet (to link to), and I can't summarize the situation any better than they do:
Lucky, Tina, Jewel, and Queenie: Speak Up for These Elephants
Published July 14, 2009 @ 10:45AM PT
Tina, Jewel, and Queenie are together. Lucky is very much alone. But they are all, actually, in Texas right now. And they all need to be removed from their current miserable circumstances and allowed to live out the rest of their lives at a sanctuary. Tina, Jewel, and Queenie have been enduring a terrible life on the road as circus props for years and are in documented failing health, and Lucky is languishing, alone, in the San Antonio Zoo in her final years.
First, Tina, Jewel, and Queenie:
