Animal Liberation Front

[Bronco]

Is certainly not doing these animals any favors -

 

News Update: Most minks back on the farm

 

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF

 

Owners of a Sultan mink farm targeted in an apparent eco-terrorism attack in August have recovered about 9,000 minks, but they are now grappling with another problem -- cannibalism.

 

Since the break-in, police have been flooded with reports of dead, trapped or loose minks -- including attacks on a menagerie of exotic birds, a Labrador retriever and a flock of chickens.

 

While those calls are tailing off, the minks have also been seen eating fish in local rivers; one even turned up at a fruit stand on the edge of town last week.

 

Farm workers are also finding the occasional rib-skinny straggler from the estimated 10,000 animals turned loose from their cages six weeks ago.

 

About 1,000 are still missing or presumed dead.

 

Because unrelated animals tend to attack one another when housed in pens together, the bigger problem now is keeping the recovered minks from killing each other.

 

Before the break-in, only siblings were kept in cages together. After escapees were rounded up, workers couldn't tell which animals were related anymore.

 

"The mink are fine when they're littermates together, but when they're not, they're quite vicious and they're cannibals," said Kate Roesler, whose husband co-owns Roesler Bros. Fur Farms. "They do eat each other, and that's what we're battling."

 

In an e-mail, the Animal Liberation Front, a network of animal rights activists who engage in economic sabotage of fur farms, pet stores, laboratories and other commercial enterprises, took credit for the mink release.

 

The FBI is still investigating, and no arrests have been made.

 

 

[erik]

what about the FRONT FOR ANIMAL LIBERATION?

 

 

[cracked]

Minx! How could you!

[Ursa_Eagle]

or the Coalition for Liberation of Itinerate Tree-dwellers??

[Beck]

they need to get a bunch of traps and make a coat out of those weasels!

 

mmm, muskrat stew.... got a lot of of beavertail soup when i was younger, helped develop my taste for beaver as an adult...

 

setting traps and working a trapline is fun and interesting work I reccommend any try but very few ever will. "Good man in the woods"

 

great film, hard to find, about the last of the old time trappers and woodsmen....

 

there are still fellas with the same hard man status as trappers, russian smoke jumpers are a very hardy lot as well.... a knife, a flint, vodka is all these guys need to survive until the tobacco runs out... then things get desperate.

 

i like some of the actions of the ELF and the EDL myself.... i don't subscribe or endorse arson, but i do laugh and point at every H2 i see around town. always. Oh, and the work of the "Peoples' Front of Judea" and big nose...

[scrambler]

Bronco said:

Is certainly not doing these animals any favors -

 

--snip--

The FBI is still investigating, and no arrests have been made.

--snip--

 

 

Who defines what constitutes eco-terrorism ?

 

If I were the ruthless CEO of a company intent on developing and effectively destroying a rock climbing area, would that constitute eco-terrorism?

Edited October 2, 2003 by scrambler

[Formaldehead]

It's not about saving the animals, fools. The ALF isn't trying to "liberate" the minks, thinking that they'll somehow be able to survive in the environment. If the ALF had their way, they would choose to euthanize the minks. These acts are about putting it to the farms.

 

For one, it screws up their breeding programs. The minks are typically put into cages, and the cages are labelled. When the mink are released then recaptured, the farmers don't know which is which. And now, when they get thrown back into the cages, this cannibalism is occuring, further fucking the farmers.

 

 

[cracked]

Minks are cute.

[Formaldehead]

Mink farms smell god-awful.

[Dru]

free the snaffles!

 

at my parents summer place the baby ducks would always be paddling around behind mama duck. at one point every summer the number of babies would drop from 5 or 6 to 1. the rest would have become mink dinner.

[vegetablebelay]

Formaldehead said:

Mink farms smell god-awful.

 

And you'd know this how???????

[Formaldehead]

vegetablebelay said:

Formaldehead said:

Mink farms smell god-awful.

 

And you'd know this how???????

 

From the mink farm down the road? Maybe?

[Bronco]

scrambler said:

Bronco said:

Is certainly not doing these animals any favors -

 

--snip--

The FBI is still investigating, and no arrests have been made.

--snip--

 

 

Who defines what constitutes eco-terrorism ?

 

If I were the ruthless CEO of a company intent on developing and effectively destroying a rock climbing area, would that constitute eco-terrorism?

 

A) I don't know but if I had to guess, probably the Feds.

 

B) Call up and ask the FBI.

[Bronco]

Formaldehead said:

It's not about saving the animals, fools. The ALF isn't trying to "liberate" the minks, thinking that they'll somehow be able to survive in the environment. If the ALF had their way, they would choose to euthanize the minks. These acts are about putting it to the farms.

 

From www.animalliberationfront.com

 

"ALF Mission Statement / Credo

 

The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) carries out direct action against animal abuse in the form of rescuing animals and causing financial loss to animal exploiters, usually through the damage and destruction of property.

 

The ALF's short-term aim is to save as many animals as possible and directly disrupt the practice of animal abuse. Their long term aim is to end all animal suffering by forcing animal abuse companies out of business.

 

It is a nonviolent campaign, activists taking all precautions not to harm any animal (human or otherwise).

 

Because ALF actions are against the law, activists work anonymously, either in small groups or individually, and do not have any centralized organization or coordination.

 

The Animal Liberation Front consists of small autonomous groups of people all over the world who carry out direct action according to the ALF guidelines. Any group of people who are vegetarians or vegans and who carry out actions according to ALF guidelines have the right to regard themselves as part of the ALF "

 

Seems to me like they've fallen short on their mission this time. And it also seems to me that they are all about the LIBERATION OF ANIMALS.

 

I heard from a local out here that the the road kill of minx imediatly after the "liberation" was pretty disturbing.

 

 

[scrambler]

Bronco said:

scrambler said:

Bronco said:

Is certainly not doing these animals any favors -

 

--snip--

The FBI is still investigating, and no arrests have been made.

--snip--

 

 

Who defines what constitutes eco-terrorism ?

 

If I were the ruthless CEO of a company intent on developing and effectively destroying a rock climbing area, would that constitute eco-terrorism?

 

B) Call up and ask the FBI.

 

Of course, the CEO is not an ecoterrorist. He's operating within the law even though the law may be written to primarily benefit his company.

 

ALF, on the other hand, is composed of protesters who often break the law to draw attention. A particular protest action is as meaningless as the caricatured anarchist hurling a ball bomb. In the overall scheme of things, they tend to marginalize the issue through violence. Sometimes though the extremists make the message pushed by the moderate activists appear more palatable.

 

How many debates have their actions sparked in internet bulletin boards, in school and college classrooms, break rooms at work, and other places where people gather to talk? Maybe none. Or maybe the discussions were so one-sided that there was nothing to discuss.

 

So ok, maybe their actions were absurd but has anyone stopped to think and perhaps compare the detrimental actions by ALF to those committed by commercial interests? Which is the greater evil? Some of ALF's members have to be pathological but others have to be driven by well-reasoned philosophy.

[Bronco]

scrambler said: Some of ALF's members have to be pathological but others have to be driven by well-reasoned philosophy.

 

Not if you ask me.

[Scott_J]

Trask, Caveman lets go liberate some Animal Rights people, the hard way. hahahahaha

[Fence_Sitter]

sisu_suomi said:

Trask, Caveman lets go liberate some Animal Rights people, the hard way. hahahahaha

 

yeah. i think saddam had the same definition of the word liberate.

[glacierdog]

Ursa_Eagle said:

or the Coalition for Liberation of Itinerate Tree-dwellers??

 

Ah yes, the CLIT, an off shoot of the LABIA (Liberate Apes Before Imprisoning Apes). Never heard of em.

[Ursa_Eagle]

glacierdog said:

Ursa_Eagle said:

or the Coalition for Liberation of Itinerate Tree-dwellers??

 

Ah yes, the CLIT, an off shoot of the LABIA (Liberate Apes Before Imprisoning Apes). Never heard of em.

 

The outtake on the DVD was hilarious! (Jon and Will carrying on for like 5 minutes unscripted)

[Bronco]

Read this yesterday and thought it was interesting.

 

Standing up to animal terrorists

 

By Cynthia Pekow

Special to The Times

 

 

In the mid-1980s, a vaccine was developed to prevent feline leukemia virus, an infection deadly to cats. I was employed in a small-animal veterinary practice, where too often I had seen the virus claim the lives of my patients.

The new vaccine inspired a change in my career direction. I wanted to learn about and participate in efforts to create and test the treatments we rely on for the health of our pets and ourselves. Today, I am a laboratory animal veterinarian: a part of the profession dedicated to humane, proper and safe care and use of laboratory animals.

 

I work with caring people whose daily actions reflect compassion for animals. These are not individuals who show their concern for animals by carrying placards in public demonstrations. Nor do they engage in acts of terrorism in the name of animal liberation. Rather, they come to work each day and go about the important business of caring for laboratory animals.

 

Who really cares about laboratory animals? If actions speak louder than words, it's not the animal-rights advocates. The compassionate people are the ones inside the biomedical research facilities.

 

Consider mouse 151L. He is one of a family of mice genetically prone to diabetes. 151L was bred specifically for research on the role of diet in the development of diabetes. He receives a treatment (in his drinking water) that is believed to delay the onset of the disease. 151L is observed daily, and is regularly checked for signs of diabetes.

 

Before the research began, a funding agency deliberated on the value of the knowledge to be gained in exchange for the lives of the animals involved. An animal-care committee evaluated the humane aspects of the proposal, specifying the signs and symptoms that would indicate that 151L might be suffering, along with the methods for handling those possibilities. If he becomes ill, or at the end of his normal lifespan, 151L will be humanely euthanized, and his tissues will be analyzed and compared to those of animals that did not receive the treatment.

 

The results can point us to, or steer us clear of, preventive measures for diabetes in genetically prone people and animals — an enormously important advance, since diabetes is one of the most costly incurable diseases of modern times.

 

At work each day, I see the care provided for 151L and the thousands of other animals, mostly mice and rats, whose quality of life depends on our actions. Every day — holidays and weekends, during blizzards and hurricanes and national emergencies — dedicated people attend to the husbandry and welfare of animals such as 151L. These technicians not only provide clean housing, food, water, bedding and toys; they also observe and interact with the animals. Scientists make headlines with medical breakthroughs, but it's the animal caregivers who provide the foundation on which the science depends.

 

There is a key assumption that separates those working inside research facilities from those carrying placards outside to protest the work. We who choose to work with laboratory animals understand their critical importance to advances in biomedical research. We see how the benefits of research extend to both people and animals. The greater life expectancy and quality of life we enjoy today stem from developments such as vaccines, antibiotics, surgical techniques and a better understanding of nutrition — all results of research involving animals. We continue to count on research for better treatments, for ourselves and for animals, for afflictions such as cancer and kidney failure and traumatic injuries.

 

Each person has his or her own — often deeply felt — level of comfort and acceptance regarding the many aspects of human/animal relations. Arguing about how we can or should relate to animals is as unproductive as arguing religious belief. What is more useful is to speak in terms of animal welfare rather than animal rights.

 

Polls tell us the majority of Americans do accept the necessity of using animals in biomedical research. In return, they want to be assured that 151L's life will be used to good purpose, and that he will be treated in a way that meets his needs and prevents suffering.

 

People also want to know that animals are used only when there are no alternatives for answering important research questions. On this point, science is clear. Cells living in test tubes and systems modeled on computers can assist and direct research efforts. For the foreseeable future, however, these methods cannot replicate the complexity of living organisms. And, when our children's and our pets' health is at stake, we dare not rely on research based on inadequate testing.

 

Animals such as 151L, whose lives we take in the name of science, deserve our utmost respect and care. Personal integrity is the bottom line. In 17 years in this field, I have been consistently impressed by the commitment of all involved — scientists, research technicians, veterinary staff and animal caregivers alike — to be humane and considerate of the animals.

 

In contrast, consider how the actions of animal-rights activists affect the well-being of animals such as 151L. Outside research facilities and scientific meetings, activists carry signs and chant slogans. Or worse, they scream obscenities, spit on, and attempt to provoke and intimidate people entering and leaving the buildings. Some groups, such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), proudly claim credit for acts of arson, bombings and sabotage at research facilities — violence that is dangerous to research animals as well as humans.

 

Groups such as Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) engage in acts of intimidation and threats. In Seattle, smoke bombs were set off during business hours in two downtown high-rises, ostensibly because insurance offices there did business with research labs. Locally based animal-rights groups regularly picket the homes of researchers in the Seattle area. Slurs and graffiti have been painted on scientists' cars and property. Across the U.S. and here in Washington state, research facilities have been broken into and vandalized, and animals have been stolen — in some cases "liberated" to die, hit by cars or killed by predators.

 

Whose actions show compassion? Research facilities have to respond to terrorist threats by putting increased resources into security, using funds that otherwise might have been dedicated to research or to enhancing the animals' environment.

 

151L's quality of life will not change because of additional surveillance cameras at the door. Liberation will not improve his well-being. Compassion for 151L is shown not by the "liberators" but by those who work constructively to improve the science, technology and humanity of animal care: the people inside the research facilities.

 

Cynthia Pekow is certified as a specialist in laboratory animal medicine and is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Comparative Medicine at the University of Washington. She is a member of the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research and president of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. She is a doctor of veterinary science.

 

 

[Formaldehead]