HAWC - EYE
Voice of the Hooved Animal Welfare Council
PO Box 7l54, Erie, PA 16510 (814) 739-9680
2004 NEWSLETTER
Annual General Meeting for Election of Officers on Tuesday, June 8th at 6:30 p.m at
9907 East Peach St., Girard, PA
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Election of Officers: Elections will be held on June 8th for President (Darlene Rosthauser), Treasurer
(Open) as well as two board member positions (Vicki Musolff and Megan Metzler).
May Membership Drive: Please send in your membership or renewal for 2004 now. Family memberships are still $20.00 and Single memberships $15.00. All memberships are tax-deductible. Your membership dollars go directly towards the cost of humane officer training
and rehabilitation of livestock. We recently rescued two horses and the rehabilitation costs ran over $2,000.00. Vet care, feed, and corrective shoeing adds up quickly. So we need your membership and donations to continue with our rescue efforts
now more than ever. Please tear off the attached membership form and send it in now.
Complaint Contacts
HAWC continues its success in improving conditions for livestock through education
of owners on proper animal care; but remember you must be willing to give your name along with other pertinent information
in order for our investigating officers to investigate a complaint. All complaints are strictly confidential. HAWC handled many complaints last year resulting in 14 cases; all were resolved
satisfactorily by educating the owners on proper care. The cases involved cows, ponies and horses. Please do not hesitate to notify us if you see neglect or abuse. Please call our Humane Investigating Officers listed below.
Sandy Blount 774-2800
Darlene Rosthauser 899-0960
Vicki Musolff 474-5633
Remember, Pennsylvania Law §5511, Cruelty to Animals states: (c) Cruelty to animals. -A person commits a summary offense if he wantonly or
cruelly ill-treats, overloads, beats, otherwise abuses any animal, or neglects
any animal as to which he has a duty of care, whether belonging to himself or
otherwise, or abandons any animal, or deprives any animal of necessary sustenance,
drink, shelter or veterinary care, or access to clean and sanitary shelter which
will protect the animal against inclement weather and preserve the animal’s body
heat and keep it dry.
Website Address: Please check out the HAWC website address and links to help you find information
on livestock care and issues. Remember you can donate to HAWC by purchasing items thru the iGive site, Jeffers
(for pet and livestock supplies) and Petsmart. If you go to our website and click on their logo to order online, a percentage
of your order will be donated to HAWC by Jeffers (8% of your total) and Petsmart
(15% of your total and 5% on repeat purchases). It’s easy and a great way to donate. Please check out our new web site for more info on donating. www.hawc-eye.org
HAWC has received many emails from people seeing our website. We will continue to do our best to answer all questions accordingly so do not
hesitate to email us at majek25@hotmail.com .
2004 Events
Dan Rice Days is our biggest fundraiser of the year and lots of fun for everyone. It will be held August 1st and 2nd in downtown Girard, PA. Take a chance on the Chinese Auction and raffle tickets. If you would like to help at the booth or donate an item, please call Sandy Blount
at 774-2800. Hope to see you there!
Updates
Horse Slaughter
A Federal bill (HB 857) to prevent the slaughter of horses in and from the United
States for human consumption by prohibiting the slaughter of horses for human
consumption and by prohibiting the trade and transport of horseflesh and live
horses intended for human consumption, and for other purposes has been re-introduced
in the US House of Representatives by John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) and Congressman John
Spratt, Jr., (D-S.C.). This legislation has the backing of New York Racing Association (NYRA), National
Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), and Breeders’ Cup. To track this bill go to: http://thomas.loc.gov. For more on horse slaughter visit this website hosted by Equine Advocates go
to http://www.equineadvocates.com.
PMU Farms
Since the 1940’s, the urine of pregnant mares has been processed into drugs used
to treat menopausal symptoms in women. To manufacture the drug, 40,000-60,000
mares were employed at more than 425 farms in the northern US and Canada. Each
year the horses were impregnated in the fall, spent winter inside “pee barns”
hooked up to urine collection systems, with no exercise and gave birth in the
spring. Many groups have helped to find homes for some of the thousands of foals
produced by this process each year. But many of the foals not rescued are sent to slaughter for human consumption
in European and Asian meat markets. Most of the mares end up slaughtered as well when they are too old to be impregnated
and are considered “unproductive”.
Since 2001, the results of several research studies have alerted women and their
doctors to the health risks associated with taking these animal-based hormone
replacement drugs. This news sent prescriptions for Wyeth-Ayerst’s Premarin (shorthand
for PREgnant MARe urINe) and Prempro plummeting.
In October 2003, Natural Biologics, the other producer of horse-based estrogen
replacement, went bankrupt and ended contracts with all its farmers. Soon after,
Wyeth announced major cutbacks resulting in the reduction of half the required
number of mares utilized in the production of its drugs. Now an estimated 20,000
horses – most of whom are pregnant mares – face uncertain futures, as horses not
kept for other farming pursuits can either be adopted or sold through auction.
Do not use Premarin, Prempro, Premphase and Prempac. Ask your doctor to prescribe a hormone replacement drug derived from plants or
a synthetic alternative for hot flashes. For more information call this HOTLINE number: 1 800 566-9768 or visit this Premarin website hosted by United Animal Nations: www.uan.org. PMU farms and processing plants can be eliminated only if women refuse to use
hormone replacement drugs that are processed from horse urine. Let’s help eliminate this industry completely.
Foster Homes Needed
We are still in need of foster homes to help rehabilitate any animals that might
need help. If you have a barn and pasture and are experienced in hooved animal care, please
call us so we can add you name to our list. Rehabilitating an animal can be very rewarding. Call Sandy Blount at 774-2800.
Presentations
If you would like presentations about HAWC for your community group, contact
Darlene Rosthauser at
899-0960 or visit the HAWC website for more information. http://www.hawc-eye.org
Livestock and Property Theft Prevention Tips
You will never be able to stop theft 100 percent of the time, but you can do
a lot to deter it. A horse thief’s biggest enemies are: time, light, noise and positive identification. Anything you can do to slow them down will help.
1. Identify your horses and other livestock. Whether you live in a state with or without a horse inspection program, a combination of methods of identification is a horse owners best bet to deter theft. Electronic identification such as an implanted chip; provides an invisible, unalterable and permanent “insurance” back up.
2. Take color photos of your animals twice a year to include their summer and winter
looks. Show the head, both sides and all markings. Let the animal fill 75% of the photo. If you’ve ever had to look for an animal that was lost or stolen, a good clear
color picture can make the difference. A video camera is also a vital tool in identifying your animals. Photos of saddles and other tack also help with find stolen items.
3. Deviate from established routines and don’t flaunt your possessions. ID all property and valuables with your drivers license number and have photos
of them.
4. Replace wire fencing with materials that cannot be easily cut. Wire is easy to cut with little noise and cut wire cannot be easily seen in the
dark.
5. Use light with photocells around the paddock and infrared based motion detectors
around the barn/stable.
6. Post your property with warning signs. It tells a potential thief you’ve done something about horse and property protection.
7. Try a watch dog, peacocks, guinea hens, geese or other animals known for raising
an alarm call if something doesn’t seem quite right.
8. If animals and/or property is lost or stolen, don’t hesitate to call law enforcement
officers. Show them the photos you have taken. You can also check out sale barns and auctions around you to see if your items
or animals show up. Make extra copies of your photos ahead of time so they can be passed out to the
people that can help you find the thief.
Here is a Natural Fly Spray recipe from Rural Heritage magazine if you are looking for a home-made alternative to commercial sprays.
· Four 16 ounce bottles of Avon “Skin So Soft”
· 40 cc (about 5 tablespoons) pure eucalyptus oil
· enough white vinegar to make up on gallon
Mix everything together and spray. This spray leaves a harmless film and is economical to use.
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY SUMMER
HAWC
PO Box 7154
Erie, PA 16510
· May is HAWC membership month, so please remember to renew your membership for
2004
ABUSED ANIMALS CAN’T HELP THEMSELVES;
On Behalf of the animals, THANK YOU
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MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
FOR THE HOOVED ANIMAL WELFARE COUNCIL (HAWC)
Name ____________________________________________ Phone _________________
Address __________________________________________________________________________
City _______________________________________ State _________________________
Single Membership $15.00 Family Membership $20.00
Donations gratefully accepted
Make check payable to: H.A.W.C.
Mail to: P.O. Box 7154, Erie, PA 16510
All donations are tax deductible