Meet With HSUS for Animals in Upstate New York

	Ithaca, New York HSUS Lobby 101 Seminar Monday, Dec. 7, 2009 6:30 - 8 p.m. Click here to RSVP. Watertown, New York HSUS Lobby 101 Seminar Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 6 - 8 p.m. Click here to RSVP. Syracuse, New York HSUS Grassroots Meeting Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009 6:30 - 8 p.m. Click here to RSVP. Albany, New York HSUS Grassroots Meeting Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 6:30 - 8 p.m. Click here to RSVP.

Dear Friend,

Great things are happening for animals across New York. I'm the New York State Director of the Humane Society of the United States and I'll be hosting several free events throughout Upstate New York next month. I hope you'll join me to learn how you can take action for animals. Check the list for an event near you and click the links to get more details and to RSVP.

The U.S. Congress and the New York state legislature will be considering legislation that would significantly impact animals, such as a bill to help strengthen animal fighting laws and a bill to stop the proliferation of puppy mills in New York. We want you to know the most effective ways to get involved and communicate your message.

I'll hold two Lobby 101 seminars -- Dec. 7 in Ithaca and Dec. 8 in Watertown. Lobby 101s will provide you with basic, but effective, lobby techniques for citizen activists and provide information regarding some of the bills and issues being considered this year.

I'll also hold two grassroots meetings -- Dec. 9 in Syracuse and Dec. 10 in Albany. At these grassroots meetings, you'll have the opportunity to discuss current issues affecting animals and receive an update on animal protection legislation in which HSUS is currently engaged.

All events are free of charge, but an RSVP is requested to attend. Click on the links to learn more and to RSVP now.

Hope to see you at one of these events!

Sincerely,

Patrick Kwan
New York State Director
The Humane Society of the United States

P.S. Join The HSUS New York State group on Facebook. It's free (and fun) to set up your own profile and get involved.

P.P.S. Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/heypatrick.

Dogs Deserve Better: Winter Outreach

Please join SARO to remind people that a life on a chain is no life at all, but this holds especially true during the winter months.  On Saturday, December 5th SARO will be standing on the corner of Alliance Bank Pkwy and Park St asking people to please be kind to their dogs this winter and bring them indoors.

Why: To increase public awareness that having dogs on chains or in pens is not only inhumane and barbaric but also a public safety issue. More info at www.dogsdeservebetter.org
When: Saturday, December 5th, 3:30pm-4:30pm
Where: Syracuse, NY, on the corner of Alliance Bank Parkway and Park St.
NOTE: The Carousel Mall entrance is directly across the street from where we'll be. Mapquest: Type in 2100 Park St. for the Regional Market. If you are driving to this event please park in the Regional Market or the Regional Transportation Center parking lots not in the Carousel Center parking lot.
What to bring: Signs will be provided, or bring your own. Sign ideas are:"Dogs are family, too"; "Unchain your dog"; "No chains or pens for dogs"; etc.


Please remember to DRESS WARMLY!  We will be in the shade and it will be much cooler than you might expect.

Demonstration Location Map:


View Larger Map

Happy Tofurky Day

May peace be in your diet this holiday season.

Regional Fur Free Friday Demonstration

Fur Free Friday is an anti-fur action day held every year the day after Thanksgiving-the busiest shopping day of the year. Join local anti-fur activists from across the state to protest the cruel and unnecessary killing of animals for their fur. We will hold signs and distribute literature encouraging consumers to choose cruelty free fashions. For more information about Fur Free Friday, visit www.furkills.org. Posters and literature provided or you can bring your own!

Where: Skaneateles Furs at 44 East Genesee Street, Skaneateles, NY 13152

What: Peaceful legal protest with signs, banners and fliers about the gruesome truth of the fur industry. It may be COLD! Wear a hat and gloves!

When: Friday Nov. 27th from 1-2pm

Carpool Info: Meet at the S.U. Schine Student Center loading dock area
on Waverly Ave. in Syracuse at 12noon sharp.

Carpool Map:

View Larger Map

We Have A Winner

Our Tofurky Raffle Contest is over and we had to pick a winner.  From the many entries we chose just one luck winner.  That winner is Josh Cook.  He is now the very proud owner of a delicious Tofurky Roast & Gravy combination pack. Congratulations Josh!  We hope you enjoy your Tofurky and just to let you know, our feelings won't be hurt if you want to share said Tofurky with some friends.  (Hint, hint.)

Murder in a Chicken Slaughter House

As animal advocates we know that thousands upon thousands of "murders" happen each day in slaughter houses across the country. Did you know that footage of video filmed in these slaughter houses has mad it's way to prime time television? In this week's episode of "BONES", staring David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, both of whom have done PETA ads, if you watch closely you will see footage supplied to the producers of the show by Farm Sanctuary and PETA.

While the show originally aired this past Thursday, November 5th, you can catch the complete episode on Hulu until December 18th.

Get Your Tickets Now!!!

This year SARO wants to help you have a cruelty free thanksgiving. SARO will be raffling off a Tofurky Roast and Gravy pack for you to enjoy for Thanksgiving.  Raffle tickets are $2.00 each and can be purchased anytime at Strong Hearts Cafe located at 719 E. Genesee St. near downtown Syracuse. Cash only.  The raffle will be drawn November 2nd 19th, the Thursday before Thanksgiving.

Learn more about the horrors turkeys go through for thanksgiving dinner, go here: http://www.chooseveg.com/turkey-slaughterhouse.asp 'Free Range' Turkeys do not have it any better: http://www.free-range-turkey.com/wst_page3.html

Happy Halloween

With the recent beef recall do you really need a better reason to go vegetarian?

Zombie Flash Mob Anti-fur Protest

SARO received this flier the other day and though it was a good concept, so we thought we'd pass it along to you.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

What is an Anti-Fur Zombie Flash Mob you ask?  Well, a flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public space, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

For this particular event, people will be dressed as zombies, declaring "I'd rather be dead than wearfur."
 - Meet at the Regional Market Building located at 2100 Park Street at 12 noon sharp, no dawdling.
 - Look for the sign "Zombies Meet Here"
 - Come dressed in zombie garb: ripped, dirty and disheveled clothing.  Wear your own zombie makeup or bring $3 to use provided makeup.
 - All zombies will receive a briefing before the event begins.
 - People not planning on being a zombie need not attend.

Need some inspiration on being a zombie?  Hulu is playing Dawn of the Dead until March 1, 2010 for free.

Make A (Local) Call for the Animals

Call-in to the Carousel Mall for hosting Georgio's Furs and L'Adour for their continued sale of foie gras all day Sunday.

Georgio's Furs:
Carousel Mall in Syracuse, NY may be best known for its shopping experience, but harboring a full-scale fur salon is making the mall atmosphere synonymous with cruelty to animals. The Carousel Center continues to host Georgio's Furs despite knowing the suffering that goes into every fur hat and coat. Repeated attempts by shoppers and community groups to communicate their concerns about Carousel Mall hosting Georgio's have been ignored. Help us remove Georgio's from the mall forever.

Carousel Mall customer service: 316-466-7000 315-466-7000

What to say:
"Hello this is [YOUR NAME] calling from [YOUR LOCATION] When Georgio's was first given a lease in the Carousel Center, over 1,200 people signed a petition to the mall management against allowing a fur store. I am calling with my concerns about Georgio's Furs being allowed in the mall this holiday season.
1. a fur salon is contradictory to the environmentally friendly image the mall is seeking to promote
2. the fur industry is horrendously cruel (describe how) and is inappropriate in a family friendly setting.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing that Georgio's Furs will not have a storefront in the mall in the future."



L'Adour - Foie Gras

After being made aware of the inherent cruelty to ducks during foie gras production, L'Adour refuses to take the product off the menu.

Syracuse Animal Rights Organization has spoken with the owners, handed leaflets to hundreds of patrons and held over 50 public outreach demonstrations at this restaurant. Recently, L'Adour has begun to not admit they serve foie gras over the phone but it is still on their menu. L'Adour's foie gras supplier is the well-documented Hudson Valley Foie Gras, notorious for animal, worker and environmental violations. For more information about foie gras, visit www.nofoiegras.org and www.ladourpollutes.com. Let L'Adour know that while the ducks are suffering, they will continue to hear from compassionate people.

Call L'Adour at: 315-475-7653

PETA Dumping Dairy Covered In Post-Standard

PETA's downtown protest focuses on poor treatment of cows

By The Post-Standard

October 22, 2009, 3:06PM

By Lynette Chen / Contributing writer
Syracuse, NY -- Dressed as a cow, a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals dumped gallons of “milk”— actually floured water — today in front of a downtown Syracuse grocery store.

The action at C.L. Evers & Co. on Water Street was part of a protest against what PETA refers to as factory dairy farms and their poor treatment of cows.

Virginia Fort, assistant campaign coordinator at PETA, wore a body-screen TV showing newly released footage taken by a whistleblower at a farm that supplies the Land O’Lakes company. The video shows sick, exhausted cows struggling to stand and being forced to hobble through a massive build-up of their own waste.

“You may want to stop drinking dairy after seeing this,” Fort said. “We want people who go in there and buy milk to know what’s going on behind the scenes of factory farms.

Dairy cows are kept consistently pregnant and forced to produce up to 10 times more than they actually would, Fort said. After several years of abuse, their bodies are shipped off to slaughters where they are made into ground beef , soup or hamburgers, she said.

The footage was taken during a PETA undercover investigation at a farm in Pennsylvania. PETA regularly sends volunteers wearing hidden cameras to factory farms and warehouses to capture footage of what may be shoddy practices, Fort said. Investigators found cows that were sick and unable to move, denied medical care despite being in pain and abused by the farm’s owners. PETA said it is filing complaints against the farm.

No one at the grocery store agreed to comment on the record about the demonstration.

Source: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/petas_downtown_protest_focuses.html

Gallons of Milk Dumped at Syracuse Grocery Store by Angry PETA Activists

Video Shot at a Land O'Lakes Supplier's Facility Shows How Cows and Calves Are Left to Suffer on Factory Dairy Farms



For Immediate Release:
October 21, 2009
Contact:
Shakira Croce 757-622-7382

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Dressed as a cow, a PETA supporter will dump gallons of "milk" outside a grocery store in Syracuse as part of a protest against cruel factory dairy farms. Another protester will wear a body-screen TV showing newly released video footage taken by a whistleblower at a farm that supplies Land O'Lakes. The video--which shows sick, exhausted cows struggling to stand and being forced to hobble through a massive build-up of their own waste--will reveal to consumers how much filth and suffering goes into the production of milk and other dairy products. The cows suffered from painful infections and severe lameness, and animals were kept in miserable conditions and deprived of even basic care. Some of the animals went untreated and were not put out of their misery when they were in pain and unable to stand.


When:   Thursday, October 22, 1 p.m.


Where:  C.L. Evers & Company, 214 W. Water St., Syracuse



View Larger Map

"This investigation shows that when you don't wean yourself off milk, butter, and cheese, you may be paying someone to cause great suffering to animals on factory farms," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Anyone with a conscience will find this footage disturbing, but people can help stop these abuses by dropping dairy products from their diets."

PETA launched the investigation after a whistleblower working at the farm became concerned about conditions there and contacted PETA for help earlier this year. Investigators discovered cows who were sick and unable to move, were denied medical care despite being in pain, and were abused by the farm's owners. The owners--a man and his son--have now been charged with cruelty to animals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

'Fowl Play: The truth behind your breakfast'

Join SARO for a free screening of the award-winning documentary by Adam Durand, Fowl Play.

This powerful film takes viewers on an unforgettable journey behind the closed doors of some of the country's largest egg production facilities and graphically illustrates the heartbreaking plight of laying hens condemned to lives crowded inside file-drawer-sized cages.

Through touching interviews with animal rescuers, undercover investigators, veterinarians, and animal behaviorists, we hear compelling stories motivated by kindness and courage from the dedicated individuals who are fighting to save the modern day hen - perhaps the most abused and exploited animal on earth.

Adam will be at this screening to take question from the audience after the showing. To learn more about the film, visit www.FowlPlayMovie.com.

Where: Kittredge Auditorium - HBC Building - Syracuse University Campus, Syracuse, NY (behind the Hall of Languages)

When: 7 p.m.

SARO To Hold Vegan Bake Sales

Tomorrow SARO will hold the first of four vegan bake sales for October.  The profits from the bake sales go to help fund SARO's cat rescue and foster program.  Currently, SARO is fostering 9 cats and kittens awaiting adoption. Each week they need food, litter and vet care.  Tomorrow's bake sale, with it's delicious treats, will be in the lobby of Marshall Hall on SUNY ESF campus from 10am to 3pm.

SARO is always looking for new baking talent.  Even if you've never baked before you make still have baking talent. So why don't you check out a few vegan recipe websites ( Vegweb, VegCooking, ChooseVeg, The Post Punk Kitchen, etc ), throw on an apron and bake up a storm.  Even if tomorrow's bake sale is too soon for you.  SARO will have another three during the weekend of October 24th, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  For all the bake sales, please drop your items off, with a list of ingredients and your contact info (so we can return your dishes) on the front porch of 708 East Raynor St. ( a block down from Sadler Hall), preferably the day before the bake sale.

When picking recipes for SARO bake sale please keep a couple of things in mind:

• Popular items are: muffins, banana bread, apple crisp, cookies etc.
• Students like to buy things they can eat easily and cleanly in class.
• All items should be vegan.

Our Website Is Changing

It seems that over the past week or two our websites have become buggy.  We are now restructuring them and hope to have everything fixed in the next day or two.  This blog will become the new website and should be bookmarked using http:SyracuseAnimalRights.com

A Walk and A Protest in One Day

This past weekend was a a busy one for SARO. Okay really it was Saturday that was super busy for SARO.

Saturday morning, we hit the paved trails of Onondaga Park in Liverpool for the annual Walk For Farm Animals. SARO was joined by more than thirty walkers who walked for about an hour.  We got a little exercise and helped raise money for Farm Sanctuary. Farm Sanctuary in case you hadn't heard is a national farm animal rescue organization based out of Watkins Glen, NY.  In Watkins Glen they have a 175-acre farm where animals come to spend their remaining years after being rescued from abuse or neglect.

This month SARO is planning a carpool-trip to Farm Sanctuary on Saturday, October 17th, just weeks before they close this year's touring season.  The carpool cost $5.00 (gas for the drivers) and the tour is $3.00.  Please email info[AT]syracuseanimalrights.com if you are interested in joining us.

After the Walk For Farm Animals, SARO then participated in a protest against KFC.  SARO has been doing KFC protests off and on for a few years now.  This year we changed locations from the Erie Blvd location to the Butternut St and Park St location.  This protest is in support of PETA, who called for all KFC locations nation wide to protested at until KFC changes their methods.  Please see PETA's Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign for more ways you can help and for more information on why you shouldn't eat at KFC.

Tonight's Protest of Foie Gras

The foie gras protest tonight was a fun and interesting experience! Although we thought we had figured out all the kinks with the Syracuse Police Department trying to infringe on our right to free speech, we again had to rehash with them that we are legally allowed to protest on a public sidewalk. The owners of L'Adour recently took down their 'protester shield' curtains, and we believe they were upset being 'caught in the open' with no way to keep their customers from looking out the windows at us! Also, this protest saw the biggest turnout in over a year and we thank everyone for coming out for the ducks! It renews our hope that we can keep up the energy needed to keep this campaign against foie gras alive! Stay tuned for more foie gras protests!



In the mean time, check out photos of tonight's protest here:
www.myspace.com/animalrights (apologies for all the red-eye photos!)
Check out our website about L'Adour here: www.ladourpollutes.com
and, as always, contact L'Adour directly and keep the pressure on:
Write: L'Adour, 110 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY 13202.
Call: 315-475-7653
Fax: 315-471-9713

SARO To Protest Tonight Over Foie Gras Being Served In Syracuse

After being made aware of the inherent cruelty to ducks in foie gras production, L'adour refuses to take the product off their menu or sign a foie gras free pledge. Please show support for all the birds suffering on these farms by coming to SARO's public outreach events and contacting L'Adour(below). For more information about foie gras, please watch the video(s) posted below



Please visit YouTube to watch a 12 minute video call Foie Gras: Culinary Cruelty

Protest Details
What: Hold signs and distribute literature to the dinner crowd at L'Adour. Signs and literature provided-including our large 'ladourpollutes.com' banner. Just bring yourself and friends!
Important Note: Due to the 'upscale' nature of the crowd and in order
to better advocate for the animals, please dress 'business casual'.
Where: L'Adour Restaurant, 110 Montgomery St. in Downtown Syracuse
When: Friday, September 25th from 7pm-8pm
Carpool info: Meet at the Schine Student Center loading dock(facing
Waverly Ave.) on SU Campus at 6:30pm sharp.

Other Ways You Can Help
Write: L'Adour 110 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY 13202.
Call: 315-475-7653
Fax: 315-471-9713
Keep the issue fresh in the mind of L'Adour owners and patrons.  Please make
sure you state your opposition to L'Adour serving foie gras. Feel free
to call, write and email the restaurant letting them know you want
foie gras off their menu and you don't plan on giving them business
until then.

September 22 is World Carfree Day

"World Carfree Day is an annual celebration of cities and public life, free from the noise, stress and pollution of cars. Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets and neighbourhoods to celebrate World Carfree Day and to remind the world that we don't have to accept our car-dominated societies.

World Carfree Day, promoted and supported by the World Carfree Network, is intended to advance the economic, social and environmental benefits of self-propelled or mass transportation. It is meant to promote more sustainable ways of transportation and new ways of building and thinking the urbanism of our cities, allowing streets to be a living space, rather than only a transit space.

With the global economy in freefall, carmakers are facing turbulent times and people around the world are re-evaluating their relationship with the car. So now is the perfect timing to try out the alternatives, spread the carfree word, join or start a World Carfree Day in your area! It is also time to push for a new use of car factories that could be used to build public transportation, providing employment and allowing us to build a better urban environment." [ Source: World Carfree Day Press Relaese ]

In celebration of a world without cars, we bring you two classic Walt Disney cartoons:

PETA Offers Syracuse Zoo $2,000

On Tuesday PETA sent a letter to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo's director offering a donation of two thousand dollars to replace the zoo's penguins with robotic ones, which were developed by Festo, a German engineering company.

PETA's letter to Rosamond Gifford Zoo Director Chuck Doyle follows.
September 15, 2009

Chuck Doyle
Director
Rosamond Gifford Zoo

Dear Mr. Doyle,
I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 2 million members and supporters--including thousands in the Syracuse area--to ask you to replace the zoo's captive penguins with the lifelike robotic penguins that were recently developed by the German engineering company Festo. PETA is even offering to make a donation toward fundraising for the project by pledging the first $2,000.

While zoos claim to be educational, a true understanding and appreciation of wildlife cannot come from looking at bored animals who are confined to cramped enclosures that can never replicate the animals' real home environments. Captive animals are denied any semblance of a natural life, and virtually every facet of their existence is controlled. The only thing that people can learn from a visit to the zoo is how animals behave when held in captivity.

Penguins are avid swimmers and divers, and their need to roam in open water cannot be met in a small enclosure. They are good parents and form monogamous pairs, working together to care for their young. In zoos, their mates are often chosen for them through breeding programs, and in many cases, their chicks are removed. The physical and mental frustrations of captivity commonly lead to abnormal, neurotic, and even self-destructive behavior known as "zoochosis." And while zoos tout species preservation, the fact is that captive-breeding programs do little if anything to protect wild populations. Warehousing penguins in zoos is not the solution to saving their counterparts in the wild.

Festo's robotic penguins move, swim, and even communicate just as real penguins do, and visitors who observe the robots will be able to learn about penguin behavior without inflicting additional stress on captive live birds. This will be particularly true if you also erect a sign that reads, "This zoo does not house real penguins because we recognize that we cannot adequately replicate their natural environment or provide them with a satisfying life." Please see the attached article about these fascinating robots. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals


See robot penguins in action:

SPCA's fundraiser tainted with blood money!

ACTION ALERT!

By now, we all now that PETLAND is one of the major contributors to: 1) animal abuse via puppymills; and 2) the pet overpopulation problem. When folks breed or buy, shelter dogs die. See the facts here that "almost every Petland store in the country is buying from puppymills": http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/petland_investigation_2_062909.html

Our one local PETLAND is responsible for hundreds of dogs flooding into our community each year. While these dogs might be bought into nice homes by unsuspecting PETLAND customers, these dogs came from suffering mothers and will cause additional suffering of our region's shelter animals.

PETLAND is a major competitor with U.S. shelters. WHY, then, would our local shelter, CNY SPCA (based in Syracuse, NY), partner with PETLAND, including them as a SPONSOR for their upcoming 10th Annual Walk and Four-Legged Family Fun Festival Festival on Sept. 13? That is like Sea Shepherd partnering with the Japanese whalers!

SEE the FLYER retrieved from PETLAND's website:
http://www.petland.com/FindPetlandStores/NewYork/Syracuse/cnyspca_flyer.pdf

PLEASE CALL the shelter TODAY and ask POLITELY ASK them to CUT TIES with PETLAND asap: 315-454-4479.  Choose the Customer Service option; if you don't get a live person, let it keeping ringing until you reach voicemail and leave a message.

These are rough times for all charities, but especially for animal rescue groups. In addition to calling, if you are financially able, please consider making a donation to your local animal shelter, and show them that they do not have to compromise their morals and mission statement to avoid bankruptcy.

Kitty, Reunited With Guardian, is Sole Survivor of House Fire

Last Friday, around four in the afternoon, a fire broke out at 1305 Cedarbrook Drive in Rome, NY.  Smoke and fire were reportedly coming from the house when the fire department rolled onto the scene.  Trapped inside where three feline friends, but their sole guardian, Dawn Baris, was not at home at this time.  According to one report, the house suffered substantial heat and smoke damage through out.  According to Rome Deputy Fire Chief Mark Kohlbrenner, two of the three cats did not survive. EMTs administered oxygen to the third cat, the cat is going to live.

While we can't all stay home to watch our companion animals 24/7, we can help fire and rescue teams by putting a decal on our front doors or windows that lets them know their are animals inside.  You can buy one from most pet stores or you can order a free one from the ASPCA.

Help SARO Kick-off a New School Year

It's that time of year again.  The fresh faces of new students beginning their college life and the return of seasoned upperclassmen and women have started to appear on Syracuse University campus, with classes starting on Monday, August 31.  SARO is gearing up for the new school year with our semester kick-off meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 10th at 7pm on SU campus.  The meeting will be in room 101 in the Hall of Languages.  If you have any interest in helping animals in the Central New York, check your calendar, save the date, and join us at the meeting. 

This year SARO wants to help you have a cruelty-free Thanksgiving.  In keeping with that idea SARO will be raffling off a Tofurky Roast and Gravy pack for you to enjoy for Thanksgiving.  Raffle tickets are $2.00 each and can be purchased at any SARO event beginning September 5th.  The raffle will be drawn on Monday, November 2nd at the end of our Healthy Monday event.  We will also be taking preorders, for Earth's Own Natural Market & Cafe, for Tofurky Roasts so that you will not miss out on having one of these mouthwatering babies on your Thanksgiving table.

Petland: From Birth to Death Animals Suffer

Since November 2008, when The Humane Society of the United States(HSUS) revealed that they had done an eight-month long investigation into Petland and it's puppies for sale, SARO has joined with HSUS to get the only New York location to stop selling puppies that come from puppy mills.

A few weeks ago, PETA discovered a disturbing photograph (pictured right) and comments posted on Facebook by then Petland employee Elizabeth Carlisle, who worked at the store in Akron, Ohio. The photo shows a grinning Carlisle posing for the camera as she scruffs the bodies of two dead, soaking wet rabbits. Carlisle admitted to a Facebook friend that she drowned the rabbits, claiming that her manager took the photograph while Carlisle was "swearing at [the rabbits] to just hurry up and die ... " Currently Carlisle faces a year in jail for animal cruelty.

It appears Petland can't provide the basic supervision and care necessary to keep the animals it sells healthy and safe.

Ask Petland to stop selling rabbits now! (This is a PETA Action Alert)

Action Alert - Last Days For Public Comment

With only three days left to submit public comment now is not the time to remain quite. Please speak out for the deer, raccoons, and other animals by telling New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation officials that hunting has no place in Green Lakes State Park.

Send your (polite) comments to Mark Hohengasser of the Planning Bureau telling what you think of the plan to bring hunting to Green Lakes.

Mark Hohengasser
GreenLakes.Plan@oprhp.state.ny.us

Or if you prefer PETA has started an email for you at https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2383 .

After you submit your comments please visit http://SaveGreenLakesWildlife.com and sign the petition.

Volunteering For The Hoe Down

In case you had not heard, Farm Sanctuary, the rescue organization that focuses on farm animals, had it's annual Hoe Down in Watkins Glen, NY and SARO was there.

The event consists of a couple hundred people coming to the farm and setting up camp - literally, we were camping out for this event. After camp was set up, people were free to wander the farm and visit with the animal residents there. At certain times during the day everyone was to meet up at the "People Barn," Farm Sanctuary's visitor center and lecture hall, for meals, speakers, and cooking demonstrations.

SARO signed up to volunteer for this event, meaning that we were behind the scenes. Mostly we helped in the kitchen with setting up the meals, or we helped clean up the dining area when everyone was done eating. But wait, don't think because we were doing work that we acctuall missed out on anything. Most of the work that had to be done was when people were just hanging around. The volunteers had plenty of time to visit the farm animals and we got to listen to most of the speakers. Most of us agreed that we had a great time and we probably had more fun as volunteers than we would have had we not volunteered.

Bangging On Ft. Drum

Members of SARO joined PETA to protest the cruel use of animals at Ft. Drum.



From PETA:

Thousands of live animals are shot, stabbed, dismembered, burned, and poisoned every year in Department of Defense (DoD) training exercises, designed to train medics and infantry in how to treat various human battlefield injuries. Fort Drum plans to fatally wound live animals for the sole purpose of treating their traumatic injuries.

Mutilating living animals to teach military medics how to treat injuries in humans is both unethical and ineffective. The physiology and anatomy of non-human animals are drastically different from that of humans, and more sophisticated non-animal simulators are used in most medical schools and at several military trauma centers.

We need your help in urging Fort Drum to end its outdated trauma-training exercises on animals and adopt one of the many non-animal methods - such as rotations in military trauma hospitals and the use of the DoD's own Combat Trauma Patient Simulator.

Please be sure to send PETA's automated letter to your congressional representative and senators asking them to urge President Obama to ban military trauma exercises on animals.

Ringling Bros. Circus Is Caught Abusing Animals Again

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has released a video to the media showing what one man, posing as a stagehand for six months, had to witness. As seen in the video the elephants where beat for no reason at all, making seem as if they can't do anything right.

PETA has filed charges under Animal Welfare Act governed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. PETA also plans to file charges in each of the states where the abuse took place, including New York, when the circus was at Madison Square Garden, in New York City.

From 2005 to 2008 the U.S. Department of Agriculture's own Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service noted 24 violations of animal mishandling out of 52 inspections.

Watch Video

In Wisconson Someone Trys To Put Their Wiener(mobile) Where It Does Not Belong

MOUNT PLEASANT (Wisconsin) - The owner of a southern Wisconsin house might not be in love with the Oscar Mayer wiener right now.

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile crashed into a Mount Pleasant house around noon Friday.
Mount Pleasant Police Chief Tim Zarzecki (zahr-ZEK-ee) says the 22-year-old female driver was turning the giant hot dog on wheels around in a driveway and thought she was reversing but instead went forward and crashed into the deck and garage.

No one was home and no one was injured.

Oscar Mayer spokeswoman Sydney Lindner apologized for any inconvenience to the home owner. Lindner says the company will work with insurance companies to fix the damage to the house and vehicle.

Source: http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/news_wienermobile_mount_pleasant_20090717855_rev1



This happens just days after PETA asks Oscar Mayer to "bury the Wienermobile." ( Story ) I see this as a sign that PETA might have been right on this one.

Should deer hunting be allowed at Green Lakes State Park?

CNYcentral is currently conducting a poll asking, "Should deer hunting be allowed at Green Lakes State Park?" Please take a moment and take the poll. http://www.cnycentral.com/#poll

UPDATE: Poll is now closed. Sorry I don't have the results.

State Could Open Green Lakes State Park to Hunting

State Park officials to hold hearing on opening Green Lakes State Park to hunting.

For those of you who don't know, Green Lakes State Park is located just outside of the Syracuse in Fayetteville, NY.

Green Lakes State Park is currently open to biking, boating, camping, golfing, hiking, picnicking, family playgrounds, cross-country skiing and more, but all that will end will bullets start flying and animals start dying.  See more information on this park at http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=23 .

The hearing will be held Tuesday, July 7th at 7pm at Pine Grove Middle School, 6318 Fremont Rd., East Syracuse, NY 13057

Onondaga Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs plans to speak at this hearing in favor of hunting in the park, we need to be there to show that we don't want hunting in this park.  I know this is short notice but please come to the meeting if you can.  However if you can't make the meeting please send a message to Park Planner, Mark Hohengasser (see below for contact info) you have a month to send messages.

For further information on the meeting, call the Green Lakes State Park Golf Course Main Office at 315-637-6111.

Written comments can be sent to the state up to Aug. 7 to:

Mark Hohengasser
Park Planner
Agency Building 1, 17th floor
Empire State Plaza
Albany, N.Y. 12238

or by emailing GreenLakes.Plan@oprhp.state.ny.us

Thank you for your time and action on this

Fireworks Safety

It's the forth of July and while you may be looking forward to the fireworks that come with the holiday, your pets are not.  To your pet, fireworks are loud, confusing and down right scary.

For your pet's safety and comfort you should:

• Leave your pet at home.  Your house is where your pet spends most of their time and therefore where the feel the safest. If they become scared while at home they will be less likely to run off, but if they do, it will make it easier for your pet to find it's way home.
• Bring your pet indoors.  Putting the walls and curtains of the house between your pet and the lights and sounds of the fireworks will help your pet feel safer.  Being indoors will also make it harder for your pet to run off.  Make sure you close the curtains as your pet may break through a glass window for a path to escape.
  
• Take your pet for a walk before the fireworks start.  Having your pet go potty before the fireworks will help keep your pet from having "accidents" should they become frightened from the fireworks.
• Make sure your pet's tags are up to date.  Should your pet run away during the fireworks, current tags help anyone who finds your pet get them back to you.  You should include a cell phone number on your pet's id tags, if possible.
  
• Don't bring the fireworks home.  Your pet is going to be curious and want to investigate new smells and sounds.  So when you light a firework and set it on the ground to get a safe distance before it explodes, your pet is going to investigate the firework, which may explode in your pet's face.

Have A Happy and Safe 4th of July!!

Additional Links:

• HSUS: Fireworks Are No Blast For Pets
• PETA - Fireworks Disasters: Tell Us Your Story

SARO Goes on Summer Vacation and Back Again

I've heard rumor that some folks think that when summer rolls around SARO disbands and goes away, becoming just a memory. Now I'd like to tell you that contrary to at least one business here in Syracuse's hopes (that would be the restaurant that serves foie gras) we don't go anywhere and we don't disband. A lot of people are used to seeing us on some of the local school campuses when these same campuses close for summer break SARO finds it more useful to move our activities to other places. It's not that we have given up on the campus it's simply that we wish to reach a wider audience than the summer staff and students.

Summer is also a time when SARO members take their families on vacations, just like you do. So yes sometimes a few of us might be out of town, but we promise that we will return – even we like to take a trip to the beach now and then.

As a matter of fact it was a week ago this very morning that I was waking up for the first time in New York City. I had never been to NYC before but have been dying to go, since I moved to New York state a few years ago. Surprisingly I've talked to quite a few people who grew up in Central New York but have never been to the city. Well I got an invite I couldn't pass up.

PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal, was planing to do a protest demonstration in Times Square on Wednesday, June 24th at noon and asked if I, along with other members of SARO, would be willing to help out. A few of us said yes, and got the chance to bare our backsides for the animals (bulls in this case). I'll give you a hint: In the picture we were wearing black underwear. Sorry, can't be more specific.

Unfortunately, PETA's protest of the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain was bumped from most television and print media so that the untimely death of not one but two high profile celebrities could be covered. But just because it wasn't covered on YOUR news doesn't mean it wasn't news.

Within a couple of days of returning from New York City it was time to put on a local demonstration of our own. Our demonstration was for the organization Dogs Deserve Better and their national campaign Chain Off 2009, where we chain ourselves and try to bring awareness to the public that life on a chain is no life for a dog.

I'm happy to say that both events were a complete success, thanks to all those who participated.

As you can see we do stay active even when you don't know what we're up to. Now this was just one week, of one month, of our summer. What will you do with your summer? No clue? How about joining us? Visit our website to find our next event: http://SyracuseAnimalRights.com .

Available Adoptions

Adoptions Policy

While SARO is not specifically a rescue and adoption group, we do what we can to help with companion animal issues. We are currently pursuing funding to control the feral and stray animal populations of the University Hill of Syracuse. SARO will only adopt out to loving, trusting, resposible homes, after an adoption agreement has been signed.

Foster Care

We are always looking for foster homes. Do you have a safe comfortable place that you could help foster and rehabilitate some of our rescued animals? If so, please let us know. Fostering an animal is some work but is certainly not burdensome.

We would like to thank Moosepuppy Animal Rescue for posting our adoptables on their Petfinder site.

Links

Syracuse Vegetarian Fare

• VegSyracuse
• Farmers' Market Federation of New York

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Radical Syracuse!

• No Bombs No Bosses Distro
• Syracuse Food Not Bombs
• Syracuse Peace Council
• Critical Mass Bike Rides
• Onondaga Nation

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Animal Rights:

Albany

• LOHV Capital District Chapter
• First Capital District Vegetarian Expo

Syracuse/ Liverpool

• Kind Outreach Humane Education Project
• People for Animal Rights

Rochester

• Animal Rights Advocates
• League of Humane Voters Western NY
• Rochester Area Vegetarian Society
• University of Rochester Vegetarians
• Wegmans Cruelty

National

• Vegan Outreach
• Seashepherd
• Animal Liberation Front

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Farm Animal Sanctuaries:

• Farm Sanctuary
• Brave Birds
• Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
• Catskill Animal Sanctuary

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Animal Shelters:

• CNY SPCA
• Humane Association-Central NY
• Kitty Corner
• Spay and Neuter Syracuse (SANS)

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Wildlife Rehabilitators:

• New York Wildlife Rehabilitators
• National Wildlife Rehabilitator Listing

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Political Prisoners:

• Spirit of Freedom
• EcoPrisoners
• Jericho Movement
• Anarchist Black Cross

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Fine Reading

• Arkangel, for Animal Liberation
• Bite Back! Magazine
• Earth First! Journal
• Green Anarchy
• No Compromise

Contact Us

Email us at:

info[AT]syracuseanimalrights.com

Write to us at:

Syracuse Animal Rights Organization
P.O. Box 37044
Syracuse, NY 13235

Join our e-mail list:

SARO_Events Listserv

Friend us on:

MySpace - SARO Myspace

Get Active! Stay Active!