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What's New?Headlines:
New Hampshire Votes to Make Greyhound Racing Illegal January 23, 2009, Somerville, MA - Greyhound advocates won another historic victory when the New Hampshire House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to make dog racing illegal in the Granite State ... Read more >
India's Last "Dancing" Bear Freed December 20, 2009 - International Animal Rescue reports that the last "dancing" bear has been freed from the streets of India. Sloth bears, a highly endangered species, were purchased by traders and trained through fear and torture to dance ... Read more >
Indian Officials Order Elephants Out of Zoos and Circuses November 23, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times reports that India's Central Zoo Authority announced that the country's zoos and circuses will no longer be allowed to keep captive elephants... Read more >
Norman Bird Sanctuary Harvest Fair October 2 & 3, 2009, Middletown, RI - Come see us this weekend, October 3 and 4, at the 35 Annual Harvest Fair at Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, Rhode Island located on the water, near the beautiful Newport, Rhode Island ... Read more >
Fall 2009 - Bonnie Silva, author of Fifteen Legs, the book, and creator of Fifteen Legs, the PBS documentary, has posted an interview with New England Primate Sanctuary's founder, Debra Curtin, on the Fifteen Legs website... Read more >
Victory for Rhesus Macaques Thanks to the Gateway to Hell Team September 1, 2009 - The Gateway to Hell Team posted the following message on their website: After a campaign that lasted for six years (2003 – 2009) the Nepal government has decided to alt the breeding of monkeys for biomedical research ... Read more Ø
Summer 2009 - Coming to PBS this summer - Fifteen Legs, the acclaimed documentary by our good friend Bonnie Silva. Learn about what it takes to transport dogs from areas of the country where there are large concentrations of homeless pets to ... Read more Ø
September 13, 2009, Worcester, MA - Pet Rock Fest is the largest event of its kind, benefiting New England area animal welfare organizations with thousands of dollars each year ... Read more Ø
Dog Racing to End in Rhode Island August 8 July 29, 2009, Somerville, MA - After hearing from greyhound advocates around the world, the Rhode Island legislature has announced it will not hold a special summer session in order to prevent Twin River from shutting down live racing... Read more Ø
J une 2009, YouTube - Check out this YouTube video about the 3,500 rhesus macaques that live on an island in South Carolina. Find out how they got there, why they're there, why they're a secret, and what happens to 500 of them each year. Click to View
Radio Disney Presents New England Primate Sanctuary Listen for New England Primate Sanctuary's public service announcement on Radio Disney. PSA courtesy of Radio Disney ... Listen to Radio Disney Ø
May 2, 2009, Ft. Pierce, FL - We at New England Primate Sanctuary mourn the loss of Carole Noon, founder and president of Save the Chimps sanctuary in Ft. Pierce, FL. She passed ... Read more>
New Orangutan Population Found in Indonesia April 12, 2009, Jakarta, Indonesia - Conservationists have discovered a new population of orangutans – perhaps as many as 2,000 – in a remote, mountainous corner of Indonesia. ... Read more>
Stories:
January 23, 2009, Somerville, MA - Greyhound advocates won another historic victory when the New Hampshire House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to make dog racing illegal in the Granite State. This incredible vote comes only days after the Greyhound Protection Act took effect in Massachusetts, closing two dog tracks. The bill has several more stops to make, including a vote in the Sate Senate, before becoming law. But this is a great beginning. Watch Grey2K USA's website for more information about advances to this bill.
December 20, 2009 - International Animal Rescue reports that the last "dancing" bear has been freed from the streets of India. Sloth bears, a highly endangered species, were purchased by traders and trained through fear and torture to dance on their hind legs to performance music. To make the bears "dance", at six months of age, a heated iron needle was driven through the bears' muzzles to tether them with ropes. Continued cruelty included knocking out their canine teeth with metal rods, beatings and starvation. In many cases, systematic starvation resulted in blindness. This ancient practice, said to have originated centuries ago as royal entertainment, was torturous for sloth bears. The dancing bear industry was outlawed in 1972. However, the practice was still prevalent until recently. Over the past five-years IAR has worked tirelessly to free them. With the help of other charities, they have successfully rescued more than 500 bears. As dancing bears are eliminated from India's culture, sanctuaries have been built to house them. Many impoverished nomadic people who owned them are being provided rehabilitation packages to help them learn alternative employment skills. Photo courtesy of Laurence Van Atten, International Animal Rescue US
November 23, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times reports that India's Central Zoo Authority announced that the country's zoos and circuses will no longer be allowed to keep captive elephants. The decision means that all elephants living in India's zoos and circuses -- an estimated 140 pachyderms in 26 zoos and 16 circuses -- will be moved to "elephant camps" run by the nation's forestry department. (Those elephants currently employed in logging camps or living in Indian temples -- by all accounts, a larger number than those in zoos and circuses -- are unaffected by the decision.) In the camps, the elephants will be able to move freely in a large space and graze as they would in the wild. A group of mahouts will be employed to monitor their well-being. "It's a free-roaming animal that travels a long distance, and very few zoos have large areas to provide free movement," B.K. Gupta, the zoo authority's evaluation and monitoring officer, told the Agence France-Presse of the decision to move the elephants. "The issue was with keeping them chained for long hours." Responding to the zoo authority's announcement, In Defense of Animals director Dr. Anand Ramanathan had only good things to say about Indian officials' elephant-related policies. But he had harsh words for their American counterparts for failing to come to the same decision about the welfare of elephants in captivity. (Notably, In Defense of Animals has been among the most vocal opponents of the L.A. Zoo's elephant exhibit; it's also been at the forefront of efforts to remove elephants from other zoos across North America.)
October 2 & 3, 2009, Middletown, RI - Come see us this weekend, October 3 and 4, at the 35 Annual Harvest Fair at Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, Rhode Island, located on the water, near the beautiful Newport, Rhode Island. We'll be there Saturday and Sunday. Stop by our booth to say hello and show your support for New England Primate Sanctuary. 10am - 5pm. Rain or shine. Hope to see you there!
Fall 2009 - Bonnie Silva, author of Fifteen Legs, the book, and creator of Fifteen Legs, the PBS documentary, has posted an interview with New England Primate Sanctuary's founder, Debra Curtin, on the Fifteen Legs website. Please have a look.
Fifteen Legs is the award-winning documentary about what it takes to transport dogs from areas of the country where there are large concentrations of homeless pets to areas where they are more likely to be adopted. The goal - no more homeless pets! Check your local PBS listings for air dates.
September 1, 2009 - The Gateway to Hell Team posted the following message on their website:
After a campaign that lasted for six years (2003 – 2009)
the Nepal government has decided to definitely halt the
breeding of monkeys for biomedical research in the USA.
It shows that it pays to have patience and that the good
forces sometimes do win in the end! As Manoj Gautam points out: 'It shows what can be achieved when one person takes his responsibility serious.' Kudos to Minister Dipak Bohara, and to everyone who has been involved in the Stop Monkey Business Campaign. Click here to learn more about the Gateway to Hell Campaign.
Read Best Friend Animal Society's article, Underdog Railroad, about the documentary and book. Learn more about the book and documentary on the Fifteen Legs website.
Date: September 13, 2009, Worcester, MA; Rain date, Sunday, Sept. 20 Time: Noon to 5 p.m. Place: QUINSIGAMOND COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS Admission: $12 adults, $5 kids The festival benefits New England area animal welfare organizations with thousands of dollars each year. The Pet Rock Festivals motto: "They can't talk so we will." In 2008, New England Primate Sanctuary was one of the preferred charities to benefit from the event and received a donation of $1,000 from the festival proceeds. Visit the Pet Rock Festival website for directions and event details.
July 29, 2009, Somerville, MA - After hearing from greyhound advocates around the world, the Rhode Island legislature has announced it will not hold a special summer session in order to prevent Twin River from shutting down live racing. This means that dog racing will end on August 8! When lawmakers report back in September, Gray2K USA will introduce legislation to end dog racing as a matter of law. This will end dog racing for good in New England. To hear the latest update on the campaign to end dog racing please tune into Sins of Omission Radio on Monday, August 3 at 9 p.m. (Eastern time). Christine Dorchak, Gray2K’s founder and president, will discuss the “Unseen Costs of Greyhound Racing” with host, Paula Abeles. Once Twin River ends dog racing, there will be just eight states remaining where dog racing is legal and operational. Gray2K USA is committed to ending dog racing in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. With your help, end dog racing can end nationwide!
June 2009, YouTube - Check out this YouTube video about the 3,500 rhesus macaques that live on an island in South Carolina. Find out how they got there, why they're there, why they're a secret, and what happens to 500 of them each year.
Listen for New England Primate Sanctuary's public service announcement on Radio Disney. Click on the Radio Disney icon to listen to Radio Disney. PSA courtesy of Radio Disney May 2, 2009, Ft. Pierce, FL - We at New England Primate Sanctuary mourn the loss of Carole Noon, founder and president of Save the Chimps sanctuary in Ft. Pierce, FL. She passed away on May 2, 2009. Dr. Noon founded the sanctuary in 1997 and has since rescued almost 300 chimpanzees. For information about services or about the sanctuary, see Save the Chimps website.
April 12, 2009, Jakarta, Indonesia - Conservationists have discovered a new population of orangutans – perhaps as many as 2,000 – in a remote, mountainous corner of Indonesia. This gives a rare boost to one of the world's most endangered great apes. A team surveying forests nestled between jagged, limestone cliffs on the eastern edge of Borneo island counted 219 orangutan nests, indicating a substantial number of the animals. Although the exact number of orangutans cannot be ascertained from this, a cautious estimate might be several hundred to as many as 2,000. There are an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 orangutans left in the wild, 90 percent of them in Indonesia and the rest in neighboring Malaysia. The countries are the world's top producers of palm oil, used in food, cosmetics and to meet growing demands for clean-burning fuels in the U.S. and Europe. Rain forests, where the solitary animals spend almost all of their time, have been clear-cut and burned at alarming rates to make way for lucrative palm oil plantations. The steep topography, poor soil and general inaccessibility of the rugged limestone mountains appear to have shielded the area from development, at least for now. Its trees include those highly sought after for commercial timber. Birute Mary Galdikas, a Canadian scientist who has spent nearly four decades studying orangutans in the wild, said most of the remaining populations are small and scattered, which make them especially vulnerable to extinction. "So yes, finding a population that science did not know about is significant, especially one of this size," she said, noting that those found on the eastern part of the island represent a rare subspecies, the black Borneon orangutan, or Pongo pygmaeus morio. Conservationists say the most immediate next step will be working with local authorities to protect the area and others that fall outside of national parks. A previously undiscovered population of several hundred also was found recently on Sumatra island, home to around 7,000. "That we are still finding new populations indicates that we still have a chance to save this animal," said Paul Hartman, who heads the U.S.-funded Orangutan Conservation Service Program, adding it's not all "gloom and doom." Noviar Andayani, head of the Indonesian Primate Association and Orangutan Forum, said the new discoveries point to how much work still needs to be done to come up with accurate population assessments, considered vital to determining a species' vulnerability to extinction. There are many areas that still have not been surveyed," she said, adding that 18 private conservation groups have just started work on an in-depth census based on interviews with people who spend time in the forests. They include villagers and those working on plantations or within logging concessions. "We hope this will help fill in a few more gaps," said Andayani, adding that preliminary tests in areas where populations are known indicate that the new interview-based technique could provide a clearer picture than nest tallies. "Right now the information and data we have about orangutans is still pretty rudimentary," she said. Some experts say at the current rate of habitat destruction, the animals could be wiped out within the next two decades.
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Fifteen
Legs Interview
September
13, 2009, Worcester, MA - 
New England Primate Sanctuary, Inc.
P.O. Box 520174, Winthrop, Massachusetts 02152 USA
Tel: (978) 834-3030 E-mail: info@neprimatesanctuary.org