Things are turning around for Caboodle Ranch – Letter to the Editor

Things are turning around for Caboodle Ranch. Yes, it may be baby steps but the very fact that Caboodle Ranch WILL NOT give up the fight for what is right, is finally starting to pay off. If you read the Judge’s ruling on the ASPCA Cost Hearing, it may seem a bit confusing. Fortunately, our lawyer friend that has been a crucial part in uncovering the wrong doings of the ASPCA, made things clearer for us. Here is an excerpt from him:

“ Paragraph 2 of the findings is sweepingly broad. Notice the difference between Paragraph 3. In it, it says there was no agency relationship for purposes of the animal cruelty statute, but paragraph 2 says there was no relationship of any kind. If paragraph 2 stands, it seems that the ASPCA committed trespass and conversion (theft essentially) when its people entered Caboodle Ranch’s land and took Caboodle Ranch’s cats and continued to hold them.

Since the ASPCA actually participated in the proceeding that produced this ruling, they would normally be precluded (by “collateral estoppel”) from challenging the factual finding in paragraph 2 in a subsequent lawsuit brought against them by Caboodle Ranch for damages. Judge Parker might as well have painted a bull’s eye on the ASPCA’s back. “

The Prosecution is putting together “an offer” soon. One could assume they are feeling the weight of the real meaning the Judge’s ruling and are shaking in their boots. They will not be able to prove “animal cruelty” , especially with all the contrary evidence that Caboodle’s lawyer has.

Our hope, is that in the end, this will mean that Craig and Caboodle Ranch will have their reputation restored and that the ASPCA will be under extreme scrutiny of their actions and expenditures. We also hope that there will be a group that steps in to ‘step up’ the guidelines and fairness for small rescues and shelters all across the U.S. Yes, of course there needs to be guidelines on health and safety but not unreasonable ones and “made up” ones that come from 3rd party personal agenda opinions.

Please pay close attention to the news of late. Recently the ASPCA has been making headlines, and not good ones. The truth is coming out. The ASPCA has recently had to award a circus almost 10 million dollars for wrongful actions. They have also been in the news for abuse of the animals they “rescued” that were displaced from the devastating storm Sandy. The president resigned and they have not been able to replace him. He made a whopping 500,000 a year! They make tens of millions of dollars in donations from hard working people. Be watchful of what they do with it.

After all that has been done to Craig and the cats, and the ranch, he still has to prepare for the criminal trial. There is not a date set as of yet. We are still holding out hope that someone with a brain cell in that courthouse will drop the case and see that it is wrong and a total waste of money and time, and let Craig get on with his life. Pick up the pieces and try to get through his losses. (The Madison Florida Voice, January 4, 2013)

Monkey Dies From Head Injury After Zoo Break-in

A break-in at Zoo Boise early Saturday left a Patas monkey dead from blunt force trauma to the head and neck and police were analyzing blood found at the scene to determine if it came from the monkey or one of two human intruders.

Two males wearing dark clothing were spotted by a security guard at 4:30 a.m. outside the fence near the primate exhibit, police said. Both fled, one of them heading into the interior of the zoo. Boise police used a thermal imager in searching the 11-acre zoo grounds but didn't find the person.

Police said late Saturday that a grey baseball cap with a distinctive skull design found near the site was probably left behind by one of the intruders and it might help in tracking them down.

"I've been here for 15 years and we haven't had anything like this happen," Zoo Boise Director Steve Burns said. "It's unfortunate that we have to let kids know that something like this happens. Monkeys are always among the most favorite animals here."

Patas monkeys, often called the military monkey, have reddish-brown fur with grey chin whiskers and distinctive white moustaches. They are widely distributed across central Africa south of the Sahara Desert and can live more than 20 years in captivity.

During a search of the zoo before dawn, Burns heard a groan that at first he thought sounded human. It turned out to be an injured Patas monkey barely moving near the perimeter fence.

The zoo's veterinarian was called, but the monkey died just before 6 a.m. as it was being examined. A necropsy later determined that blunt force trauma was the cause of death, police said.

An inventory done by zoo staff found no other animals missing or injured. The zoo has one remaining Patas monkey — another male — but it's unclear if it will remain at the zoo or will be sent to another zoo where it can socialize with other Patas monkeys, Burns said.

"They're not endangered in the wild, but there are not many in zoos in the United States," he said. "Monkeys are social animals. We only have one."

The two Patas monkeys came to Zoo Boise about three years ago from Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo in Florida. They had an outdoor enclosure during the summer in Boise but were moved indoors to the primate building when colder weather arrived.

Burns said the monkeys hadn't been given names, and he didn't know their ages. The monkey that was killed was about 2 ½ feet tall and weighed about 30 pounds, Burns said.

Burns declined to discuss details of the police investigation, including how the intruder entered the primate building, if the monkeys might have been specifically targeted, or how the monkey ended up near the perimeter fence. The zoo doesn't have surveillance cameras, he said.

"It's very disturbing that someone would intentionally break into the zoo and harm an animal," said Sgt. Ted Snyder of the Boise Police Department in a statement. "We're doing all we can to find who did this."

Amy Stahl of Boise Parks & Recreation said the death shocked zoo workers.

"They're hit hard," Stahl said. "They care for the animals on a daily basis and they care about them deeply."

The zoo was supposed to open at 10 a.m. but remained closed while police gathered evidence, opening about 2:30 p.m.  (Associated Press, Nov. 18, 2012)

MAS Continues to Starve Dogs; Puppy Cannibalizes Littermate Out of Hunger

This is a difficult story to tell. It is the story of 2 puppies, impounded by MAS along with 4 others (whose outcomes are unknown), who are both now dead. The details are horrifying but must be shared if there is to be any hope of justice. In my view, justice for the deaths of these two puppies would be nothing short of immediate arrests, criminal charges, and a complete overhaul of MAS – starting with the state Attorney General placing the facility into receivership, as we requested more than a year ago. This ongoing crisis of suffering, neglect and needless killing at MAS must be met with swift and decisive corrective action. It has gone on far too long.

On September 4, 2012, a Memphis animal control officer responded to a call from a school reporting puppies on the property. The ACO impounded 6 puppies, including dog ID #245825 and #245826, who were listed as 4 month old Lab mixes. On September 5, both pups were dewormed and vaccinated. Each weighed a little over 14 pounds. Both pups had the note “nasal discharge” entered into their medical histories on September 17 but no weights were recorded.

On September 13, an adopter expressed interest in puppy #245825 but MAS would not release him without a background check and a yard inspection because, although his medical history says Lab mix, and his littermate’s records say Lab mix, puppy #245825′s cage card says Pitbull mix. And MAS has special adoption requirements for Pitbulls. There are no notes indicating those tasks were ever completed. On September 19, the would-be adopter was phoned and advised that the puppy she wanted had been found dead in his kennel that morning.

In fact, the two pups had been caged together and one ate the other. Puppy #245826 ate his littermate’s face, trachea and esophagus as well as his shoulder. Someone with initials RC, presumably the MAS vet Rebecca Coleman, performed an examination on the remains of the partially eaten puppy and found he was very recently deceased and not suffering from an upper respiratory infection. The final notes are:

Cause of death undetermined. Body was cannibalized post-mortem.

There is no way of knowing whether this puppy was dead when the littermate ate him and I see nothing in the the records that supports this conclusion. He was not sick and in fact, there is no known cause of death. This conclusion seems irresponsible, at best.

Dr. Coleman then killed puppy #245826 marking “behavior” and “health” on the card. She performed a necropsy on this puppy, noting that portions of the other puppy were readily identifiable amidst the stomach contents. His body condition score (BCS) was 1/5. Anyone who has sat in a vet’s office looking at posters on the wall probably knows what a BCS of 1 looks like (see an illustration here). It indicates an emaciated animal. In an apparent contradiction, she also notes the pup had “good fat” under the skin and around the internal organs. The fat around the organs is among the last reserves to be used in the case of starvation. And the “good fat” beneath the skin is inconsistent with an emaciated puppy although the mere presence of fat in no way indicates the puppy was being fed enough.   To read the rest of the story Click Here.

Urge Health & Human Services to Retire Chimpanzees

Despite scientific evidence demonstrating they are unnecessary, more than 900 chimpanzees languish in U.S. labs today. Many are elderly and sick, and 80-90% are not even being used in studies. A law already exists that would retire these chimpanzees to sanctuary, however it is not being fulfilled. In response, NEAVS, the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA), Save the Chimps, Fauna Foundation, Animal Protection of New Mexico, the Kerulos Center, Sen. Bob Smith (lead sponsor of the Senate version of the CHIMP Act), and Friends of Washoe – under the counsel of Katherine Meyer of Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal in Washington, D.C., a premier law firm with extensive experience and success in animal protection – filed a Rulemaking Petition asking the government to define when a chimpanzee is not needed for research and therefore eligible for retirement. The Rulemaking Petition holds them accountable to the law.

The time for HHS to exercise its authority and responsibility is long overdue. Sign the petition urging the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to enforce the CHIMP Act and retire chimpanzees to sanctuary.

Heartbreaking Story - Wolf Hunting Season

Yesterday, when I logged into to my homepage on att.yahoo.com, I saw a very disturbing story on the front page that read "First wolf hunts set for Minnesota, Wisconsin".  Wisconsin's season is set to open Oct. 15 and Minnesota's season is on track for Nov. 3.    Both states will allow hunters to bait, shoot and trap wolves.  Wisconsin also will allow night hunting and the use of dogs.  What was even more disturbing, was a quote from a lady (questionable) in Grand Rapids, Minn.  She said, "To get a (wolf) as a trophy would be awesome, " she said.  I am speechless!

If anyone else read this story or knows about it, please comment.

 

The Terrible Truth About Some ASPCA/HSUS Rescues, such as on Caboodle Ranch

You read the magazine adds or watch the three-minute infomercials by the ASPCA and HSUS about the terrible plight of abused animals across our country, and then the request for money.

Then you see the newspaper article and news reports on Channels 6, 7, 9 etc., about a local non-profit rescuer who had 90 or 150 or even 400 cats who were all rescued from deplorable conditions by the City Animal Services along with the local or national ASPCA or HSUS. The reporter is told that the number of animals just got out of hand and the owner just wasn’t able to take care of the animals anymore.  To read the rest of of the story, Click Here!

 

HSUS Gets Another 'D" from Charity Watchdog

The Humane Society of the United States has once again gotten a “D” grade from the American Institute of Philanthropy/CharityWatch, according to the group’s August Charity Rating Guide. CharityWatch has now given HSUS a “D” grade for two years. (It previously had a “C-minus”—which would still get you grounded by your parents.)

CharityWatch writes in an accompanying article that HSUS gets a “D” for “spending paltry amounts on their programs and maintaining high fundraising costs.” The watchdog finds that HSUS spends as little as half of its budget on programs and spends as much as 48 cents to raise every dollar. HSUS is a factory fundraising machine—and a deceptive one, at that.

To learn more or to become a member of CharityWatch, Click Here.