By Howard Goldstein
Among the lobbyists was Rita Eilenberg, of North Bellmore, president of the Long Island chapter of LOHV.
The league is a non-partisan, political-action committee with chapters throughout New York that lobbies lawmakers to pass animal welfare legislation and supports candidates who favor animal welfare laws.
We hope to make the Animal Rights Lobby Day a yearly occurrence," Eilenberg said. "In so doing, we want to incorporate a wide range of people into a movement that tells elected officials that animal welfare issues are important to the public.
"People and organizations that abuse animals for pleasure or economic gain can lobby on behalf of their interests, but animals can't," she said.
"In addition, to prevent suffering in animals themselves, humane legislation greatly benefits society. Almost every serial killer you can name started on animals. Recognizing animal cruelty as fundamentally destructive to humans as well will help prevent grisly crimes and child abuse," she said.
According to Eilenberg, many people are unaware of just how much animal cruelty is either a minor offense or perfectly legal in this country.
The league is now lobbying state legislators to pass four key bills that would ban currently legal activities and upgrade extreme cruelty to wildlife from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Assembly Bill 1821 proposes to ban the force-feeding of birds for the purpose of fatty enlargement of the liver (at the time of this writing, the measure still needed a Senate sponsor).
Foie gras is renowned as a delicacy, but animal welfare advocates say thereÕs a dark side to the prized hors d'oeuvres.
Geese used for foie gras are force fed fatty food. Lacking in minerals but lipid rich, the concoctions produce geese with numerous anatomical deficiencies and a swollen liver twice as large as a normal birdÕs. The force feeding process often results in punctured throats and suffocation.
Foie gras farms exist in New York state, and prices are high for the gourmet item.
Three other bills targeted as key measures by animal groups have both Assembly and Senate sponsors, and the campaign has begun in full force.
Another bill (A480; S 2901) would allow each county within New York State to restrict or ban trapping within its municipal limits by local law or ordinance.
Trapping is a major point of contention between animal advocates and sportsmen. While acts of senseless cruelty have few advocates, trapping can be a source of income to some people. Trappers argue that banning the practice increases the economic hardships of many rural people and destroys an age-old tradition.
Some hunters argue that banning trapping is the first step to banning all forms of hunting, and are wary of laws that restrict using wildlife as resources.
But Eilenberg said the fact that something makes money or is pleasurable to some individuals does not justify immoral activities. The steel jawed trap is an unequivocally cruel device, according to the league, inflicting a slow, agonizing death on its victims by crushing, bleeding or starving them.
Claims that the traps kill instantly are untrue. They do not reliably strike vital spots. Many animals will chew their own foot off to escape from the device,Ó Eilenberg said.
Additionally, the league argues that the bill would increase the safety of children and pets by allowing local government to limit or ban trapping in populated areas.
Animal advocates won a victory in New York several months ago when acts of torture against companion animals were upgraded from misdemeanors felonies.
Called BusterÕs LawÓ after the cat that was set on fire by its owner, the measure only covers dogs and cats. A similar act performed on a raccoon or pig is not a felony, and the torture and killing of a red-tailed hawk on Long Island this winter has spurred the crusade to expand the law to wildlife.
Under bill A6507; S4155, aggravated cruelty to wildlife would be punishable as a felony. Opposition is predictably small, but the league notes that a major battle with farming interests amended the original proposal that would have also included production animals.
Finally, the league is fighting for passage of A4609;S2735, which would outlaw so called canned hunts." A canned hunt takes place on a private plot of land in which hunters pay to shoot particular species of animals that are released for that purpose. Asiatic deer and goats, such as axis deer, red sheep and Markhor goats, as well as big cats, are among the most common requests by hunters.
According to the league, weapons and hunting methods are not regulated because the land is privately owned and the species targeted are usually exotics, which therefore have no hunting regulations with state agencies.
Animals are fenced in, and sometimes caged, to be shot at point-blank range. Animals on these hunts have been killed with knives, clubs, and strangulation and have been set upon by packs of dogs. The big cats are often retired circus animals or zoo surpluses. Former circus animals in particular have been known to approach the hunting client expecting food.
But the vast majority of animals used in canned hunts are actually birds, again with exotics like pheasants (there are no pheasants native to North America; the common ring-necked pheasants now common in parts of America are introductions from Eurasia) and chukars as the primary targets.
The bill would protect birds as well as non-native mammals from canned hunts, and prohibit the killing or maiming of intentionally confined animals for amusement or trophies in New York State.
"The league overall has good membership, but public activity in the Bellmore area is rather low," said Eilenberg.
"We hope to make our presence more known to anyone in the area who favors more humane legislation for animals. As you can see, we get bills put on the floor. We are effective, and the more people who make cruelty prevention a campaign issue can help make real progress," she said.
For more information about these bills and other animal welfare issues, contact the League of Humane Voters at (516) 826-9316 (Long Island chapter), or e-mail Rita Eilenberg at rita@lohv-usa.org.
