Peta Wants Federal Animal Evacuation Bill Strengthened

Norfolk, VA, -- Armed with firsthand accounts from its New Orleans field rescue team, PETA has sent an urgent letter to Rep. Tom Lantos. PETA asks Rep. Lantos to broaden language in the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, which he introduced last month, to include fighting dogs and carriage horses. In its current form, the bill would mandate that regions seeking federal disaster relief money have evacuation plans in place for people with "household pets" and "service animals" only.

PETA's rescue team in Louisiana found dogfighting paraphernalia including treadmills and training weights and fighting pit bulls abandoned to drown or starve in crates, cages, and sheds. Carriage horses and mules in the French Quarter suffered and several died when their caretakers were forced to evacuate without them.

"Congressman Lantos has always been a good friend to animals and we believe he will be horrified that PETA found fighting dogs simply abandoned by their lawless owners," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "This important bill will spare animals a tremendous amount of suffering and is long overdue."

PETA's letter to Congressman Lantos follows.

September 26, 2005

The Honorable Tom Lantos
2413 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Lantos:

I hope that this letter finds you and Annette well. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for introducing and cosponsoring the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2005, House Resolution 3858. This much-needed bill is in line with your wonderful work for animals and will offer animals a great deal of protection.

May I come and meet with you for a few minutes and bring with me the director of our Domestic Animals Department? We would like to offer a couple of small additions to the bill for your consideration. These are based on what our rescue teams in New Orleans saw and would make this vital legislation even stronger.

Our search and rescue teams uncovered countless situations in which dogs obviously used and bred for fighting were left behind amid paraphernalia such as treadmills, weights, and other evidence that these animals were used for illegal purposes. One such dog was found dead in a cage, the top of which she had chewed through in a desperate attempt to escape. Many others were still chained both inside and outside homes. Some were dead, and many had not eaten in weeks and were in atrocious shape. Some were covered in toxic muck. The definition of "household pet" does not currently include "fighting" dogs, yet, of course, these dogs need protection too.

Also, carriage horses and mules were flooded out of their stables and turned loose to fend for themselves in New Orleans French Quarter. These working animals had little chance of survival, and including them in the definition of "service animal" would help ensure their safety in the event of a disaster.

Finally, as you know, people were coerced, lied to, threatened, and bullied into abandoning their beloved animals by rescuers of various agencies, and animal rescuers were not allowed to render aid to these animals for about a week following the storm. Now, nearly a month later, they are still dealing with the aftermath of Katrina getting dying animals out of ruined homes and sheltering them in makeshift compounds. Animal protection charity groups desperately need the government's help with preparing and responding to disasters; we cannot do this alone. We need to issue a clear directive to rescue personnel that they must assist, not hinder, citizens in evacuating animals.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President

cc: Jeff Kerr, General Counsel
Daphna Nachminovitch, Director, Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information Department

http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=7202

 

Screw PETA. NO ONE wanted them down here anyway! Everytime I saw a PETA van filling up with dogs to take away from Lamar-Dixon, I couldn't help but wonder which lucky city was soon going to find all the dead bodies in their dumpsters.

 

I seccond this.
peta

 

Mia You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth. Poor Animals.