april - 2023

SPRING WAGGIN TAILS       APRIL 2023
HAPPY PASSOVER
HAPPY EASTER
PREVENTION OF ANIMAL CRUELTY MONTH
 
Dear Friends and Members:
 
          It is such a pleasure.  Spring is here, and I love Daylight Savings Time.  The weather will be kinder to the strays, until June, July and August when the heat comes, and water is hard to find and food turns bad quickly.  Dry food, and water placed strategically in areas where cats pass, would do wonders for a stray.
 
          I know that the Rescuers work feverishly to trap, and we spay and neuter as many cats as we can.  The cats are held for 6 days for a male, and 10 days for a female, before they are returned to their colonies.  If a cat is found to be friendly, a home is always the goal.  Dogs are never returned to the street – they have no colonies.  The Rescuers hold them until they are adopted, or a sanctuary is found.  Thank G-d we don’t find many stray dogs.
 
          When you see a stray, know that it has feelings like us.  So treat it as you would like to be treated.  The very least is food, and water.  It will be appreciated.
 
          This is Prevention of Animal Cruelty month.  Let’s make it a 365-day goal.  Love, caring and consideration to all that live.                         

LEGISLATION                                                                                                          [REPRINTED]

Wildlife coexistence bills introduced in Maryland
Maryland legislators have introduced three bills to improve wildlife management and coexistence in the state. These bills promote humane coexistence with black bears, increase the diversity of voices and scientific input in the state’s wildlife policymaking process, and improve the procedure for reporting incidents involving pets, non-target wildlife and other animals caught in traps and snares on public lands. The bills are scheduled for hearings on February 8, 15 and 17. All have bipartisan support and are supported by the Humane Society of the United States.
HB 378—sponsored by Del. Sara Love, D-District 16, and SB 310, sponsored by Sen. Chris West, R-District 42—would rename the current Maryland “Black Bear Damage Reimbursement Fund” to the “Black Bear Conflict Reduction and Damage Reimbursement Fund.” The bill would authorize grants for projects that reduce conflicts between black bears and humans and increase reimbursement for damage done by black bears. This important measure will incentivize the creation of “bear-aware” communities that use proven-effective methods to prevent conflicts from occurring. Bears are extremely valuable to Maryland’s ecosystems and economy, yet they are confronted with challenges from habitat degradation, the effects of climate change, and increased mortality from trophy hunting and human-caused conflicts.
HB 188—sponsored by Del. Julie Palakovich Carr, D-District 17, and SB 320, sponsored by Sen. Benjamin Brooks, D-District 10—would add a requirement for broader citizen and scientist representation on the state’s Wildlife Advisory Commission. Recent research has highlighted the vital role of science in wildlife management decisions, but currently there is no requirement that the commission include a scientist. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, only 1.9% of Maryland residents are paid hunting license holders, and residents and visitors in Maryland who spend time outdoors without harming wildlife outnumber and outspend hunters and trappers by a wide margin. Public attitudes have also changed dramatically in recent years to embrace coexistence with wildlife and value its importance. Yet historically, those constituents have had little to no say in policy decisions that affect Maryland wildlife. HB 188/SB 320 would recognize the importance of including those essential stakeholders in the wildlife policy process.
HB 406—sponsored by Del. Sara Love, D-District 16, and SB 275, sponsored by Sen. Jack Bailey, R-District 29—would require the placement of identification numbers on all traps, snares and other devices designed to capture wildlife on Maryland public lands. The bill would also encourage residents to report sightings of traps that do not meet this requirement to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. This will help facilitate the reporting of incidents in which pets, non-target wildlife and other animals are unintentionally captured, injured or killed in traps.
“We thank all of our bill sponsors for advancing measures that will promote humane and effective coexistence with Maryland’s treasured wildlife,” said Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, Maryland state director for the Humane Society of the United States. “These bills will help bring depth and diversity to wildlife management decisions in our state. Our wildlife is held in trust for the benefit of all our state’s residents, and it’s time that those residents have a say in how that wildlife is managed.”
Facts:
In 2021, an escaped zebra was found dead in an illegal snare trap in Prince George’s County. Born Free USA reports incidents of Maryland pets suffering in traps in recent years. Requiring better labeling of traps and more efficient reporting will help to protect Maryland’s animals from such incidents. People are the root cause of human-bear conflicts through actions such as leaving out unsecured trash, garbage and bird feeders, which lure hungry black bears into neighborhoods. In rural areas, livestock feed, chickens and bees attract bears. Residents can prevent conflicts and protect bears and property by blocking access with electric fencing. Maryland’s beloved black bears are important and provide significant benefits to their ecosystems. They spread more seed than birds and they break tree branches while feeding, which opens forest canopies, creating greater biological diversity on forest floors. They also indirectly protect gray foxes. Black bears are as sentient as great apes and they spend up to two years raising their cubs, with whom they are closely bonded. The public appreciates their black bears, and HB 378 will encourage humane coexistence.  
FYI                                                                                                 [REPRINTED]

Imperiled leopards one step closer to increased Endangered Species Act protection
U.S. government agrees to decision deadline
WASHINGTON—In response to a lawsuit by animal protection and conservation groups, today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finally agreed to a June 2027 deadline to determine if leopards warrant increased protection under the Endangered Species Act. Increased safeguards would ensure closer scrutiny of African leopard trophy imports and help boost funding to counter suspected population declines.
Humane Society International, the Humane Society of the United States and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition in July 2016 requesting additional protections for leopards. The groups sued in November 2021 after the Fish and Wildlife Service missed its legal deadline for responding to the petition and failed to even set a timeline for its response. As part of the settlement, USFWS agreed to the new, binding deadline.
“The leopard is being driven to extinction by so many human-induced threats already, and U.S. hunters who kill these magnificent animals only to satiate their selfish desire for macabre trophies to display in their homes or to take selfies with their kills are only exacerbating their decline,” said Sarah Veatch, wildlife policy director for Humane Society International. “It is critical that this iconic species receives the full Endangered Species Act protections they so desperately need before it is too late.”
Wild populations of African leopards are thought to be declining because of habitat loss and fragmentation, human persecution, illegal wildlife trade, ceremonial use of skins, prey decline and poorly managed trophy hunting. The United States is the world’s biggest importer of African leopard hunting trophies. Between 2014 and 2018, U.S. hunters imported trophies of 1,640 leopards, more than half of those globally traded.
The leopard is legally protected as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, but the animals are currently exempt from the ESA’s strictest limitations on trophy imports. The lax existing provisions facilitate the outsized role the United States plays in driving trophy hunting of the species.  
“The government left imperiled leopards to languish in legal limbo, but now we’re hoping for decisive action to protect these beautiful animals,” said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These iconic big cats are tanking. While we have the legal tools to help them, the government hasn’t acted. With an extinction crisis looming larger than life, we need proactive wildlife protection from the Biden administration to save life on Earth.”
The heightened protections sought in the petition would ensure closer scrutiny of African leopard trophy imports, making it more difficult to import them into the country.
Background:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the leopard as “vulnerable,” meaning it is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. According to IUCN, by 2015 the sub-Saharan African leopard population had likely declined by more than 30% over the prior 22 years, and that population is continuing to decline. Leopards are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, human persecution, illegal wildlife trade, ceremonial use of skins, prey base declines and poorly managed trophy hunting. Leopard populations in Asia and northern Africa are listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. However, leopards in 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are listed as “threatened” under the law, and those leopards are not entitled to the ESA’s full range of protections. While leopards receive the strictest protections under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, unscientific leopard export quotas and lax application of CITES import and export requirements have allowed for a poorly regulated and unsustainable trophy industry that is fueled in large part by U.S. hunters.  


LINDA’S LINE
 
          Hi.
 
          I would like to begin by wishing all of our friends, and members a Happy Passover, and a Happy Easter.  By the time you read this newsletter, spring will be in full swing (we hope).  Thank G-d for April.  Fortunately, we had a mild winter this year, which made it easier for the strays, and for all of us.  The warmer weather will soon be upon us, and this is a welcome break for all of us.  We are all looking forward to it.
 
          A reminder, that this month is also Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, which should be celebrated all year long.  So please be alert, and if you see an incidence of abuse toward an animal, or any indication that an animal needs help, please don’t ignore it.  Remember that we are the guardians of the strays, and it is up to us to try to prevent animal abuse wherever, and whenever we can.
 
          Also, please remember that we are in the midst of puppy, and kitten season.  So, whether it be here at home or if you are traveling, let’s try to remember to carry pet food, and bottled water with us in case we come across any strays that need our help.  If in your travels, you happen to come across a stray that is pregnant, please help
them with food, and water as the food will help the expectant mother to manufacture the milk that is needed to feed her offspring.  If at all possible, call a local Humane Rescue organization, public or private, to pick up the stray, if you cannot bring it to a shelter.  THOUGHT, before you leave home, why not check out the phone numbers, and addresses of the rescue services in the area that you are traveling in.  It would save time, and may save a life.
 
          Also, please try to avoid giving gifts of bunnies for Easter, as too often these poor animals wind up being abandoned in someone’s front yard or in a park (I have had calls like this).  This is not a good life for the animal.  As we have said before, if you are given a gift like this and you don’t want the animal, please bring it to a shelter, or a petting zoo in your area, i.e.: Central Park.  If you don’t know where the shelters are, please feel free to call me (718-332-3956), and I will help you to find one.
 
          Easter is also the time that children are given baskets containing different kinds of candy, including chocolate.  Please remember never to give any of these treats to a pet, especially chocolate, as it can be very dangerous to them.
 
Once again, a reminder that I am on the phones Monday to Friday from 11;30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  I will be happy to try to help with any animal related questions or concerns that you may have.  All messages left on our answering machine, will be returned within 24 hours.
 
          That’s all for now, but I’ll be back next month.  G-d bless you all, and have a beautiful and joyous spring.
                                     
                                                                             Till next time.
 
 
 
 
CLOSING THOUGHT
 
          HAPPY PASSOVER, and EASTER to all who celebrate these holidays.
 
          This also starts  the kitten season, which is not what we look forward to.  It’s a long way to 0 stray population, but if we all try to spay and neuter a pet, we will get there.  If you find a kitten that is lost, please bring it to a shelter.  Don’t leave it on the street.  Kittens sometimes wander from the mommy cat, and they can’t take care of themselves.
 
          We need more Adam, Eve and Sponsor-A-Stray members.  These programs keep us going.  They are very important.  We no longer have Amazon Smile, so that is a loss of funds.  So, we are hoping to increase these programs.
 
          Please pass our newsletter around.  If more people know about us, perhaps we will receive more donations that we need to be able to stay here to help the strays.  It buys their food, for sure.
 
          This is the time of year to show friendship, and compassion to both humans, and animals, whether pet or stray.
 
          Actually, all year is a time for friendship, and compassion.
 
          Please, if you see a homeless person, especially with pets, food is always accepted.  We are the people who care about animals.  We have to just get 10 others on board, and 10 will get 100 on board.  We can change the world.  Let’s start with 1 person to help 1 animal.
 
          Have a wonderful Holiday, and enjoy the warmer weather.  Be happy, be safe.  Enjoy life.
 
                                                Till next time.
 
                                                                   Waggin’ Off