NY Times on live animal markets – plus more 9-11-24

The Wednesday, September 11, International edition of the New York Times includes an important article, titled, “Live Animal Markets Take Few Precautions,” which appeared in the New York edition on the 10th, titled, “Animal Wet Markets Unnerve Scientists.” Before I cover that and other recent animal news, let me thank all of you who responded to the New York Times coverage of the Transfarmation Project. The paper published activist Hilary Rettig’s superb letter in print yesterday. I have shared a print out of the web version on the DawnWatch Facebook page.

Please remember that the New York Times is practically begging women to write. Legislators and other decision makers look to the letters pages as barometers of public opinion, so let’s make sure animals have a voice on those pages.

The September 10/11 article, by Apoorva Mandavilli, opens with:

“Hundreds of chickens are squeezed into rows of tiny stacked wire cages, urine and feces dribbling onto the ducks, the geese and the rabbits confined below. The stench spreads even outside, to the sidewalk, where a mixture of feathers and blood sticks to the shoes of children walking to school.”

“This is a live animal market in Queens. There are about 70 such establishments in New York City’s bustling neighborhoods, some disturbingly close to schools and residential buildings. Most markets butcher and sell chickens, ducks and quail. About one in four also slaughters larger animals, like sheep, goats, cows and pigs.

“As bird flu spreads to every corner of the globe, so-called wet markets like these are worrying public health experts. They are the petri dishes in which the next pandemic virus might emerge, jumping from bird to bird, or to other animals held just a few feet away, until finally adapting to humans.”

The article includes quotes from animal advocates, and one from Councilman Robert Holden, who visited live animal markets and observed “horrendous conditions,” saying, “They were treating the chickens like they were not living things. These are very bad places, and I think they should be outlawed.”

DawnWatch can share this gift link (compliments of Teresa D’Amico) and I urge you to check it out.

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Chimp Crazy, a 4-part HBO series, which I drew your attention to when it began airing a month ago, concluded on Sunday night. I plan to renew my Max subscription and binge watch it this weekend. And though I hate to be a spoiler, knowing it has a happy ending makes it a lot easier for me to watch, and yesterday’s Los Angeles Times shared that happy ending with an article on the front of the Entertainment Section, by Amy Kaufman, titled, “Tonka’s life now is happy, not crazy.”  MSN ran the same article without a paywall. Enjoy! And don’t hesitate to weigh in with the Los Angeles Times.

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The Los Angeles Times also has an article that appeared online today, September 11, and will likely be in the paper within a day or two, announcing, “California is poised to ban octopus farming.” AOL shares the same article .

It tells us:

“The bill received unanimous approval on the Senate floor and overwhelming bipartisan support in the Assembly – with 59 voting for the banning of octopus farming, and 10 voting against…

“If the bill becomes a law, California would join Washington as the second state to prohibit octopus farming. Legislation has also been introduced in the U.S. Senate and in Hawaii.”

You could definitely weigh in on that one too!

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In other recent major media animal news posted to the DawnWatch Facebook page:

The Jewish Chronicle ran a beautiful piece titled, “If we could only listen to animals,” which includes:

“’The roots of human exceptionalism look increasingly shallow,’ maintains Henry Dimbleby, architect of what will hopefully we implemented as the UK’s national food strategy.”

The Guardian ran a story on unregulated use of antibiotics in animal research, which included:

“Survey responses from laboratory veterinarians and facility managers showed they were using antibiotics that ‘aren’t used in other animal sectors’ and were ‘considered drugs of last resort’, she said. ‘We are using them in ways that a lot of the time we can avoid.’

“The World Health Organization has called antimicrobial resistance one of the top threats to global public health.

“Wilcox said antibiotic resistance was ‘a coming pandemic’.

“’It is going to mean that routine procedures like hip replacements, knee replacements, caesareans, surgery for cancer, chemotherapy, are not going to be feasible. They are going to be life-threatening,’ she said.”

The Guardian also brought us news on Captain Paul Watson, who says that Japan is trying to make an example out of him, while he also says, “In 1974, my objective was to eradicate whaling, and I hope to do that before I die.”

The Hill and other news outlets informed us that the beloved beluga whale Hvaldimir had been shot, though stories coming out today, such as this story in the Guardian, suggest an accidental cause of death.

The Hill also shared some great news from California:

“Biden administration takes step toward Indigenous-proposed marine sanctuary off California coast.”

Las Vegas Pet Scene Magazine published an article urging us to Opt to Adopt.

Taiwan News shared that “Live performances by wild animals held in captivity, including performances by dolphins, tigers, and other non-domesticated mammals, will no longer be permitted in Taiwan under new Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) regulations. ”

The Los Angeles Times ran a thoughtful piece asking why authorities killed a Malibu puma who attacked a boy. I and numerous other Angelenos responded to that one, and the paper ran two strong letters!

Denver 7 shared, “Colorado is becoming a leader in constructing wildlife crossings.” That segment is a joy to watch.

The Washinton Post ran a lovely write-up of Carol Mithers’ book about the work of Lori Weise and Downtown Dog Rescue. Here’s a gift link .

When I posted that review on Facebook and tagged the author of the book, Rethinking Rescue, I was delighted to learn from her that I am quoted in it, on page 94! The quote is from an op-ed I wrote for the Washington Post in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: “The vast majority of those people, like the majority who lost their homes (and lives) in the storm, were poor and Black. The animals they’d been forced to abandon were ‘the last vestiges of sweetness, in some cases the only living family, of those who had nothing left.”

Finally, LAist, the Los Angeles NPR station, as part of a series on climate change, has released the podcast episode “Can eating less beef and dairy help save the Colorado River?” Check it out!

Yours and all animals’,
Karen Dawn of DawnWatch