IDA Victories and Highlights

2003 Victories & Highlights

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For the past 20 years, In Defense of Animals has been at the forefront of the fight for animal rights. This year was no exception. From ending the hideous mother deprivation experiments of Mark Laudenslager; to saving the lives of Catalina Island Buffalo; to blocking construction of a deer slaughterhouse; to going undercover and exposing the realities of the dairy farm; to coordinating protests and educational events against the cruelties of the vivisection, fur, puppy mill, dog meat, agriculture and entertainment industries; to rescuing thousands of abused and abandoned animals; to fighting the African bushmeat trade, to protecting and giving sanctuary to chimpanzee in Cameroon, Africa and abused animals in rural Mississippi; to having San Francisco become the seventh U.S. city to recognize the importance and benefits of animal guardianship; IDA has been a constant and powerful force, protector and voice for our animal friends.

We are proud of our efforts and delighted to share our victories, campaigns and highlights with you. We hope you will take pride in our successes -- they could not have occurred without you. Your participation and support are the key to our achievements. For that we are truly grateful.

Victory in San Francisco

On January 13, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 8-3 to approve a measure to include the term "guardian" in all animal related ordinances. The vote made San Francisco the seventh city in the nation to codify animal guardian language, joining Berkeley and West Hollywood, CA; Amherst, MA; Sherwood, AK; Menomonee Falls, WI; Boulder, CO; and the state of Rhode Island. The Guardian Campaign is an international effort designed to instill greater levels of respect, responsibility, and compassion towards the animals with whom we share our lives.

Mother-Deprivation / AIDS Experiments Ended

For 17 years, University of Colorado "researcher," Marc Laudenslager conducted experiments in which baby monkeys were separated from their mothers, injected with the Simian AIDS virus, and months later killed. Thanks to the excellent work of Rita Anderson and Barbara Millman of the Committee for Research Accountability, a project of IDA, a ten-year effort by activists and animal protection organizations to stop Laudenslager's hideous experiments came to an end when university personnel confirmed the
termination of Laudenslagerπs experiments.

IDA President Inducted into AR Hall of Fame

On August 5, almost 20 years to the day that IDA was incorporated as a non-profit organization, IDA founder and president, Dr. Elliot M. Katz, was inducted into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame. Dr. Katz accepted the honor on behalf of past and present IDA staff, Board members, volunteers, and the tens of thousands of dedicated IDA members and supporters.

IDA-Africa

Under the direction of Dr. Sheri Speede, IDA's Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center continues to grow, providing much-needed sanctuary for the abused and
orphaned chimpanzees of Cameroon, Africa. Today, 38 chimpanzees, including 30 youngsters, enjoy dignity and protection in new family groups, within large, secure forested enclosures. This year, IDA-Africa's radio campaign to save the Great Apes of Cameroon, began to have a noticeable impact. In a validation of its effectiveness, a Cameroonian was fined and sentenced to prison for trying to sell a chimpanzee. When announcing the sentencing, the government prosecutor quoted from IDA-Africa's radio spots -- proof positive that our campaign is working.

1st Annual Guardian Awards

IDA's 1st Annual Guardian Awards, held in Santa Monica, CA, was a smashing success. The event honored four very special guardians & individuals with extraordinary spirits of courage and compassion: Dr. Jane Goodall; Ms. Gretchen Wyler; Randy Grim, "The Man Who Talks to Dogs," and Matt Gonzalez, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Also honored were the inspiring students of the Dalhart Animal Wellness Group, 4th and 5th graders
who amazingly established a "no-kill" shelter in their town of Dalhart, Texas. The evening was a heart-warming occasion thanks to the presence of the 200 hundred attendees, our honorees and their celebrity presenters,
Pierce Brosnan, Keely Shaye Smith, James Cromwell, Wendy Malick, Steve Valentine, John OπHurley and Francis Fisher.

World Week for Animals in Laboratories

IDA once again spearheaded grassroots activism against the horrors of vivisection. Serving as national coordinator of this week-long series of events, IDA helped organize demonstrations, rallies, teach-ins, leafleting, and video showings. Across the nation, caring people once again reminded the vivisection industry that we are here to stay, that we will not turn our backs, or ever forget the terrible tragedies befalling our animal friends in the name of science.

UCSF and Stephen Lisberger

Two USDA inspections this year confirm that UC San Francisco continued to violate federal law. IDA continued to build a case for the termination of funds for the hideous animal research at UCSF, particularly that of Stephen Lisberger. Working with federal agencies and an advisory commission to the SF Board of Supervisors, IDA is striving to hold UCSF accountable for its continued animal welfare violations and animal cruelty, to generate enough pressure to convince UCSF it is in its best interests to begin the process of replacing animal-based technologies with technologies that do not harm and kill animals.

Global Day of Action Against Procter & Gamble

On May 24th, IDA spearheaded the 7th International Global Day of Action Against Procter & Gamble to draw attention to the company's continued abuse of animals to "test" its consumer products. Consumers were once again urged
to boycott P&Gπs products until the company agrees to use only non-animal-based technologies to test its household and cosmetic products. A leaked memo brought to light P&G's behind-the-scene efforts to sabotage the
European Unionπs efforts to ban the sale of all animal-tested cosmetic products.

Fighting the Dog Meat Trade

This year, IDA intensified efforts to end the Korean dog-meat trade, where each year, two million dogs are hanged, electrocuted or severely beaten before they are killed. A letter-writing campaign to Korean ambassadors around the world, and to auto manufacturers Hyundai and Kia, urged them to influence the Korean government to enforce its existing laws that forbid the torture and killing of dogs for human consumption. IDA is forging coalitions, and giving financial support to organizations in Korea who are working on the front lines to end the horrors of the dog-meat trade.

New PSA Wins Telly Award

IDA's newest 30 second PSA has been honored with a 25th Anniversary Classic Telly Award, an award which recognizes outstanding work in commercial TV production. Featuring poet Maya Angelou reciting a stanza from her beloved poem, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," the PSA sends a powerful message about the plight of captive birds.

Project Hope

IDA's Project Hope sanctuary continues to bring justice and compassion to the animals of rural Mississippi. Project Hope director Doll Stanley continues to conduct undercover investigations and work with local law enforcement agencies, veterinarians, and concerned citizens to advocate for, and rescue, animals in need.

Through Project Hope, Doll has rescued hundreds of animals from terrible conditions, providing food, veterinary care and loving homes. Project Hope stands as a much-needed beacon of hope for the animals in the rural South, its sanctuary currently home to close to 200 formerly abused, starved and abandoned dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, horses, goats and cows.

African Elephant Trade

Faced with unsuccessful breeding programs and early deaths, U.S. zoos have launched a major effort to import elephants. In 2002, IDA and the Save Wild Elephants Coalition prevented a Six Flags Marine World amusement park from importing two baby Indian elephants. This year, the coalition delayed the importation of 11 Swaziland elephants to the San Diego and Lowry Park zoos by filing a lawsuit exposing fraudulent misrepresentations on their import permit applications. Unfortunately, our motion was denied and the importation was allowed to procede. Our efforts are now focused on fighting a Bush administration proposal to weaken the Endangered Species Act.

Targeting Canned Hunts

IDA held a series of protests against the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's (ODFWπs) state-sponsored canned hunts. Thousands of pen-raised pheasants and rabbits were released in wildlife areas for children to kill with shotguns. ODFW uses these youth hunts to recruit new hunters, fearful that hunting and the revenues that come from it are on the decline. IDA was
there to speak up for the animals and continues its campaign to persuade ODFW to end its canned huntsÊto only sponsor wildlife activities that don't involve the harming and killing of animals.

Ending Foie Gras

French for "fatty liver," foie gras is the "end product" of force-feeding ducks massive amounts of grain through a tube forced down their throats. The result: livers enlarging up to 12 times their normal size, internal bleeding, and early death. After committing to pay attorney's fees to defend activists who rescued four severely injured ducks from Sonoma Foie Gras, IDA joined Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL) in filing a lawsuit to stop the company's force-feeding practices. The lawsuit seeks to end this outrageous practice under existing anti-cruelty laws. Twelve European countries have already outlawed force-feeding because of its inherent cruelty.

Hundreds of Feral Cats Saved

IDA's Bill Dyer, working with Actors and Others for Animals, continued their trap-neuter-release (TNR) program for the feral cats living around Boeing Aircraft's Southern California facility. Boeing presented IDA with a check for $2,500 to cover the costs for trapping, altering and relocating over 225 feral cats. IDA is working to develop a TNR program for the city of Los Angeles to legitimize and stabilize the homeless cat crisis that exits there.

Organic Dairy Investigation

IDA went undercover in a number of organic dairy farms to assess the quality of life of the cows at these facilities. Our investigator found animals living ankle-deep in feces, confined to dark and damp quarters that smelled of ammonia. Calves kept in "hutches," isolated from each other and from their mothers. She found few noticeable differences in the quality of life on organic dairy farms compared to conventional dairy farms. Her findings lend additional support to the rationale of replacing milk and cheese with soy milk and other plant-based alternatives.

Buffalo Rescue

In June, the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy gave IDA the opportunity to adopt and relocate over 100 buffalo who would otherwise have gone to auction. IDA campaigner Bill Dyer worked tirelessly to make the necessary arrangements, and raise the thousands of dollars necessary to cover the costs of the relocation of these magnificent animals from California to a safe and permanent sanctuary on hundreds of acres in South Dakota. IDA has made a long-term commitment to the care of these very special beings.

Protecting Marine Mammals

From helping stop the U.S. Navy from deploying sonar that would blast deafening and devastating sound waves throughout the world's oceans, to protesting Japan's dolphin hunts in which thousands of dolphins annually are driven ashore and slaughtered, to fighting to stop Russia from becoming the new supply site for the dolphin captivity industry, to pressing for the release of dolphins held in appalling conditions in La Paz, Mexico, IDA continued our campaign to advocate for dolphins and whales in the wild and in captivity.

Protesting the Cruelty of Fur

For the ninth consecutive year, IDA coordinated Fur Free Friday, an annual day of marches, rallies, picketing, street theatre, protests and demonstrations designed to educate the public about the cruelty of the fur trade. IDA encouraged compassionate people to take action throughout the fur season - not just on Fur Free Friday. IDA placed ads and mobilized activists by providing posters, leaflets and flyers for demonstrations and educational events, ideas for getting media attention, creating library displays, and planning community teach-ins to increase public awareness of the cruelty of fur.

And Much, Much, More

From rescuing severely abused dogs from Mississippi and Arizona puppy mills, to helping care for and evacuate horses from an Arizona wildfire, to fighting for the release of dozens of monkeys who have languished alone in cages for up to 25 years, made psychotic from isolation and maternal deprivation, to fighting the expansion of our nation's biomedical research facilities, to supplying free literature and support to countless students, activists and grassroots animal rights groups, to protesting the killings of
kangaroos by corporate giant Adidas, to rescuing sick and abandoned dogs from the deserts of Arizona, to co-sponsoring the New York City Natural Pet Fair, the Student Animal Liberation Conference and the 2003 Animal Rights Conference, IDA staff and volunteers continued the fight for the rights, welfare and habitats of animals.

Our special thanks to IDA's more than 85,000 members, supporters and volunteers without whose participation, generosity and support none of victories, campaigns and accomplishments would have been possible.