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| Sahib, one of the NJ Tigers Exotic Feline Rescue Center April 26, 2013 |
If you've been reading this blog from the beginning, then you know how I feel about people who lie about the WAO for their own personal or political agenda. The story was horrendous on it's own--it doesn't need to be fabricated to suit a person's agenda. Case in point. This article was sent to me for my opinion. Needless to say, I had quite a bit to say (see the highlighted portion)!
In New Jersey
Legislature, talk of sharks, tigers, and pigs
A spiny dogfish lies in a bin
aboard a fishing boat. A bill in the New Jersey Legislature would ban the sale
of fins from dogfish and other sharks. STEPHAN SAVOIA / Associated
Press
By Joelle Farrell, INQUIRER TRENTON BUREAU
Posted: May 19, 2012
TRENTON — Before they delved completely into the budget, lawmakers took some time this week to talk about sharks, tigers, and pigs.
The Legislature is considering bills to ban the sale of shark fins, require aggressive monitoring of captive tigers, and keep pregnant pigs out of restrictive crates.
The shark-fin bill generated the most controversy. It would force New Jersey fishermen to throw away shark fins rather than sell them.
Supporters of the bill hope it will help stifle the shark-fin market, which has led to a practice called “finning,” in which fishermen cut fins from live sharks and toss the animals back into the ocean to die. Fins are prized for shark-fin soup, a Chinese delicacy served at weddings and celebrations.
“Finning” has been banned in the United States for more than a decade, but the sale and trade of fins isn’t regulated: Shark fins are both exported from and imported into the United States. An estimated 73 million sharks are killed annually worldwide to meet the growing demand for shark-fin soup, said Kathleen Schatzmann, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Humane Society.
“The idea is to starve the beast that’s feeding the finning process,” said Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D., Union), a sponsor of the bill.
But New Jersey fishing industry representatives argue that they should not have to throw away part of their profit if they catch the sharks lawfully. They are particularly concerned about losing profits from the sale of the spiny dogfish, a small shark common in Atlantic coastal waters. Fins contribute up to 30 percent of the profit from the fish, said Scot Mackey, a lobbyist with the Garden State Seafood Association.
“We can all go to a pet store and buy a pig’s ear ... or a cow’s nose for our dog to chew on,” Wayne Reichle, vice president of Lund’s Fisheries in Cape May, said at the hearing. If a shark is caught legally and people want to use the fins in soup, he asked, “why shouldn’t people be able to enjoy that?”
Lesniak, who sits on the Senate Economic Growth Committee, which heard the bill Monday, held off on a vote. He said he wanted to gather more support for the bill, which is also sponsored by Sen. Christopher Bateman (R., Somerset).
Hawaii and West Coast states have banned sale and trade of shark fins, Schatzmann said. Illinois’ legislature passed a bill banning the practice this week, and Delaware and New York are considering bans. Pennsylvania does not ban the sale of shark fins.
Tigers would be more closely monitored under a bill headed for a vote in the Assembly. The aim of the bill, which already passed the Senate, is to prevent the big cats from being sold for slaughter.
Tiger parts can be sold for up to $100,000, more than the $15,000 estimated selling price of a live tiger, according to the Humane Society.
New Jersey, unlike Pennsylvania, already bans ownership of exotic wildlife as pets. And the Pennsylvania House unanimously passed a bill this year that would ban people from owning animals such as tigers as pets, said Jerry Feaser, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The bill is now in a Senate committee.
The bill in New Jersey would require all tigers to have microchips implanted under their skin for tracking. It would also require tiger owners to provide the state with extensive records on the animals, including pictures, weight, and fur samples. When a tiger dies, the owner would be required to deliver the whole body to a state-approved regulator.
There are 26 captive tigers in New Jersey, most of them at Six Flags Great Adventure, where they are carefully monitored and cared for, Schatzmann said. The bill won’t help tigers sold out of state, but it’s designed as a model that supporters hope other states will adopt.
“We’re trying to set an example here for the rest of the country and the rest of the world to stop the trade,” Lesniak said.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are just 3,200 tigers remaining in the wild worldwide.
The bill was inspired in part by the fate of two dozen
tigers at a sanctuary in Jackson. The Tigers Only Preservation Society came
under fire after one of the cats escaped in 1999. The state found that the
tigers were kept in crowded, inhumane conditions, and it shut down the facility
in 2003. The tigers were shipped to a sanctuary in Texas.
But the Texas sanctuary went belly-up in 2010, said Bill
Nimmo, a New Jerseyan who used to visit the tigers in Jackson and who testified
before the Assembly panel this week.
Nimmo, who could not be reached for comment Friday, went to
Texas in September and found only seven tigers remained. The others had been
sold or euthanized, he said.
“Most of them had been sold into the trade,” he testified
before the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. “This is a
real problem that exists in this country and I was completely uaware of it.”
Nimmo, with help from a lawyer, obtained custody of the
remaining tigers and had them released to two sanctuaries in Florida and North
Carolina. He pays for their food and care, he testified.“They will live their lives out there; they can’t be killed or taken away,” he told the panel.
New Jersey pig owners would be barred from keeping pregnant sows in gestation crates under a bill heard in a Senate committee. Gestation crates typically measure two feet by seven feet; they’re too small to allow pigs to move or turn around, Schatzmann said. Sows are kept locked up for the entirety of their four-month pregnancies, then are quickly reinseminated and locked back up, she said. The crating, done to maximize the number of animals that can be held together, hurts the pigs physically and psychologically. Studies show pigs live longer when they’re permitted to roam during the bulk of their pregnancies, Schatzmann said.
Eight states have banned gestation crates. Pennsylvania allows the practice.
The New Jersey Senate Economic Growth Committee is expected to vote on the bill in June.
Contact Joelle Farrell at 856-779-3237, jfarrell@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter at @joellefarrell.
End.
The highlighted information is obviously what I find objectionable and it screams a bitter third party influence. First of all, I found no evidence what-so-ever proving that the WAO sold animals into the "trade" or anywhere else. Unless this Nimmo has undeniable documented proof this actually took place, then I have no problem saying this person made this story up (with a little help, no doubt) to make a political point with the Texas ANR Committee. Based on the records I've collected over the years, many of the NJ tigers were either euthanized (because they were too "dangerous") or died from various injuries/ailments. Many animals died at the WAO from lack of vet care and proper treatment, not just the NJ tigers.
On August 23, 2010, the WAO reported 12 NJ tiger survivors and they were transported to three sanctuaries located in Indiana, Florida and North Carolina. Sadly, not all of the cats that were transported are alive today--I attribute this to age and horrible animal care they received at the WAO for about seven years.
I have seen no animal records showing that Nimmo was granted "custody" of the NJ tigers by the USDA and WAO (and I did pull FOIA records). I am aware that all three sanctuaries were contacted to take the big cats by either the WAO, USDA, or a third party animal organization--Exotic Feline Rescue Center stepped up to the plate first, taking a large number of the NJ tigers; three cats went to BCR; and the remainder of the NJ tigers went to North Carolina.
I am aware of a donor who agreed to pay for the tigers' upkeep at North Carolina Tiger Sanctuary and Big Cat Rescue. As far as I know, the donor (if it is indeed Nimmo) is not providing funds for the tigers that were relocated to Indiana.
I am really sick of the people who lie about their role in the WAO case. Before anyone goes out spouting "stories" about the WAO animals, perhaps they should get their facts straight--it would save me a whole lot of typing time!
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