LA Fire animal aid, plant-based coverage, elephants, rodeos + more 1/13/25

I open this weekly alert on a personal note. Those of you who have been on the DawnWatch list for some time know that I lived on the bluff in Pacific Palisades for two decades, from 1999-2020. I then moved to Santa Barbara, where my brother, Josh Garret, and the DawnWatch office remain, and then to Austin where I have been physically safe over the last week.

Last summer I spent a few days on that beautiful Palisades bluff at my best friend’s house, enjoying sunsets with beloved neighbors, as I had done for twenty years. And last Tuesday, my ex-partner, Jim, and I, sat on the phone together in front of our TVs watching a horror show, as the Palisades bluff, with our old home and the current homes of our dearest friends, went up in flames.

For those new to DawnWatch, and also those who have loved my turkey rescue videos over the years, I share links now  to two of my favorites, both from ABC7, out of more than a dozen news segments : a story done by Elex Michaelson, and also one by Jory Rand, as they represent what the Palisades was to me.  Jory covered our unusual Thanksgiving as one of his first stories in Los Angeles, with his joy in it leading to a warm friendship between us, and so It was surreal watching Jory report on the Palisades inferno last Tuesday night.

While news coverage of celebrities losing their houses pointed to immense wealth in the Palisades, you’ll see in the videos our simple, sweet 1950s home. (The older white family watching TV in the first shot of Jory’s video is not our home, but all the other house shots are.)  The home, however, was in a spectacularly beautiful spot. As Elex talks about the turkeys headed for a sanctuary in Malibu (the girls actually ended up at Farm Sanctuary in Acton) and the camera looks up the coast, we see a large mobile home park in the forefront. That mobile home park, though hardly poverty as it was on the water in Pacific Palisades, was hardly super rich. It is ashes now, with its 180 families homeless. Many of them were friends who would come up to our bluff every Friday night for wine at sunset, where many neighbors, including Paula Pitbull and me, met every evening, with Friday drawing the largest neighborly crowd.

At the end of Jory’s video, you can see our neighbors streaming into our yard on Thanksgiving to meet the turkeys. They all brought their kids to meet the new rescues every year.

And so it has been a rough week, as I have felt so helpless, as dear friends sent me photos of where their homes used to be. I almost got in my van to head out there to see how I could help, given I know the area and people so well, and I know the animal friendly media in Los Angeles. A day of prayer and meditation told me to stay put for now and go when there is less action but just as much need, so I stay in Austin and try to figure out how I might be useful to those who are suffering. I think especially of the millions of nonhumans, from pets who couldn’t be wrangled in the minutes, or even seconds, people had to flee, to the deer and coyotes whom we used to see every day on their hillside homes that are now ash.

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I will start by sharing beautiful Los Angeles Times coverage of the work of veterinarian Annie Harvilicz, again personal to me as her care for Winky Smalls over the years has touched me deeply. The New York Post and Washington Post also cover her work.   This alert also shares a thoughtful Los Angeles Times op-ed on going vegan while honoring family food traditions, a lengthy article in the latest New Yorker magazine on diet and health, and a Washington Post story exploring animal interaction tourism in light of a tourist’s recent death by elephant.

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As always, before I cover those, I thank all of you who write to newspapers to give animals a voice on the letters pages, which serve, for legislators and other decision makers, as barometers of public opinion. Even when we don’t get published, our letters tell the paper that the topic matters to readers, and helps somebody else’s letter make it into print, giving animals a much-needed voice in mainstream media.

This week I especially thank all our Canadian subscribers who responded to the Toronto Star and other Torstar newspapers regarding their coverage of plant-based eating. The Toronto Star ran two superb letters in response to Jesscia Scott-Reid’s op-ed, under the heading, “Catchy slogans disregard the truth about meat.” I will share my X post and Facebook post of those, so you can see and read them printed out, in case you hit a paywall at the Star.

And the Torstar corporation papers, including the Welland Tribune, Niagara Falls Review and St Catherine Standard, ran a punchy letter advising us to keep animals off our plate, under the heading, “Eating Animals Damaging,” in response to Wayne Poole’s pro-veg piece. Here are X page  and Facebook Page printouts of that one.

I also thank those who responded to the San Diego Union Tribune rodeo coverage. Your efforts aided the publication of a lead letter asking whether animals abused in rodeo are really “treated like family.” I also have that one printed out on X and on Facebook. I hope those moved by that issue will continue to write to the San Diego Union Tribune in light of Sunday’s article titled, “San Diego Rodeo returns to Petco Park for three-day run. ‘It’s a major part of Americana.’”

And finally, simply because the misuse of the word euthanasia is a topic so close to my heart (as once demonstrated by my letter to the Washington Post upon Freya’s killing), I must share letters I came across this week on that topic, one in the LA Times, by activist Merete Rietveld, protesting the use of that word to refer to the horrifying deaths we give flocks killed to stem the spread of avian flu, and one in the New Yorker objecting to the word when we kill bears for human convenience.  I urge any of you who have a similar reaction to that word, to jot off a quick polite note whenever you see it misused.

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To the coverage of animal aid during the Los Angeles fires:

The Los Angeles Times story about the rescue work of Dr Annie of the Animal Wellness Centers, in Saturday’s paper, January 11, page 12, was titled, “Veterinarian took in brother’s pets. Then she took in 40 more” and was penned by Noah Goldberg. Here’s the MSN copy for those who hit a paywall at the LA Times (though I urge Angelenos to get an online subscription to our wonderfully animal friendly paper.)

A story in today’s, the Monday January 13, Los Angeles Times, titled, “A list of free or discounted resources for wildlife victims,” (page 1) also mentions that the wonderful organizations Best Friends  and In Defense of Animals are doing good work helping people with their pets. That story, of course, along with the coverage of Dr Annie’s efforts, opens the door for letters to the editor that thank the Los Angeles Times for its attention to animals. Our letters will help keep that attention on animals who need it so badly.

The New York Post also covered Dr Annie’s work, and I urge New Yorkers to check that out and please respond with a letter. Always include your full name, address and phone, remember that shorter letters are the most likely to be published, as are those that find a way to praise rather than criticize the publication being addressed.

The Washington Post also ran a story on the fires’ effect on animals, for which I can share this gift link. And that paper included, under “How to help the L.A. wildfire victims,” a section titled, “Helping animals” for which I can also provide a gift link. It guides people to Dr Annie’s Animal Wellness Foundation as well as Pasadena Humane and Best Friends Animal Society.

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To Food:

Sunday’s Los Angeles Times included a lovely piece, page L4, by Lola Mendez, titled, “Meat is Central to Cultural Heritage. Here’s how I Gave it up.”

Here’s a free MSN link.

What a great chance to write a quick appreciative letter to the Los Angeles Times in favor of plant-based diets and tradition!

I send appreciation to Elaine Livesay-Fassel for making sure we didn’t miss that one.

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The current, January 13, edition of the New Yorker includes an essay by Dhruv Khullar, under “Annals of Medicine,” with the title, “Still Processing: Why is the American Diet so Deadly,”  starting on page 12. Online, where you can read the essay or listen to it, as I did, the title is, “Why is the American diet so deadly? A scientist tried to discredit the theory that ultra-processed foods are killing us. Instead, he overturned his own understanding of obesity.”

It is enjoyable – especially the reminder of Michael Pollan’s superb advice, “Eat Food, not too much, mostly plants.” And it offers us such a great opportunity to write to the New Yorker in favor of whole foods plant-based diets. Incidentally, if there is anybody on this list who has never seen Forks Over Knives, a superb movie on that matter, now streaming for free, it’s time to change that!

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Sunday’s, January 12, Washington Post brought us welcome coverage in the wake of an elephant having killed a tourist, under the title, “Is it ethical for tourists to interact with elephants?” Here’s a gift link. Why not weigh in on the use of animals as human entertainment? Animals need our voices!

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In other major media animal news posted to the DawnWatch X feed and DawnWatch Facebook page over the last week:

• The Washington Post published a wonderful tale of a puppy mill survivor who became a therapy dog. Here’s a gift link.

• Maui Now has investigated the Maui Ocean Center’s “total disregard for the terms and conditions” of its permits and “appalling mortality rate ” due to “complete disrespect for the animals under their care,”

• WISC TV has covered a judge’s decision to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate cruelty at the Ridglan Farms beagle breeding facility, despite the farm having dropped charges against activists. (Thanks to Matthew Zirbel for sending that our way.)

• Bill Lueders at the Isthmus also covered the Ridglan Farms case beautifully.

• An opinion piece by Paul Shapiro, in the Saint Louis Post Dispatch, calls Missouri’s labelling bill “a solution in search of a plant-based problem.”

• And Vox, as part of its wonderful “Future Perfect” series, brings us, “4 Reasons why Factory Farming Still Exists.” Please check it out and share it widely.

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In closing, I hope and assume some of you will choose to donate to Dr Annie’s Animal Wellness Center and/or other organizations helping animals during the fire. Along with my 2025 year-end roundup, I sent a request to those who find DawnWatch useful but had not yet given any support for 2024, asking you to please make DawnWatch your first donation for 2025. I humbly ask the same now in January, especially if without this alert you might not have known about wildfire animal coverage, and where to contribute to help the victims.

Thanking this beautiful animal loving community for your care and efforts.

Yours and all animals’,
Karen Dawn of DawnWatch