The animals were important to God to save them from the Flood; shouldn't we then also protect animals? Of course.

As Franciscans, we should avoid items made of animal products. Real (not synthetic) fur is made from real animals that have been slaughtered for that purpose. Why should we be a party to that?

Often these millions and millions of animals are trapped with spring-loaded steel leg-hold traps... that's very cruel and animals suffer as they bleed to death from the wounds caused by this capture method. I used to be involved in the live-trapping of animals for scientific purposes (those were released back into the wild, unharmed) and there was a time until the mid 1960's when these steel leg-hold traps were still used to trap large hawks ... then to government stopped this horrible practice! In the midwest, in the mid 90's,  posing as traders of Native-American artifacts, undercover agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, were able to infiltrate a commercial trapping ring. They were told that in one area during previous year's winter migration, more than 60 eagles were intentionally killed either by being shot or caught in leg-hold traps baited with fresh meat.

Animals are used in testing of every nature in research of medicine, edibles, and these animals are often given lethal doses of chemicals being tested resulting in their death, a death not always painless. Cruel tests are performed for testing skin irritancy. Rather than shaving off fur, animals are often subjected to applications of strong adhesive tape, which are then ripped off to bare the skin. Isn't that awful? It is! But what do we know what goes on in factories and laboratories in private industry?

I won't ask you not to eat meat. That would be unrealistic. What I am asking is to take action to prevent the cruel death and maiming of animals. It is cruel to de-beak and de-claw poultry prior to killing them. Yes, that is still going on. There are many more cruel practices in the industry where animals are surgically cut without the use of anesthetics, while they are still alive. At least this was the case in 1990, when I first read about it in a book.

For many people, dogs and cats are their best friend, and those animals are treated well. But then there are many animals that are woefully neglected, underfed, abandoned outdoors, caged in filthy areas, etc. The Cable channel "Animal Planet" shows this in many of their evening shows, where doctors and handlers from ASPCA units across the country are trying to take care of these animals and give them a new lease on life through medical treatment and placing these critters up for adoption.

Continued in Right Column...

Don't have plastic surgery performed on animals. It's not wise and it causes pain for the animals. Never leave a dog in an unvented car, and especially in Florida and other high-heat areas, it's not kind to an animal to lock it up in a car, at all! A dog left for 20-30 minutes in a car, let's say in a supermarket parking lot in the open sun might be dead when you return, or be severely hydrated. Don't ever do this to an animal.

Teach your children to respect all life. People, babies, and, all animals. Kids sometimes grab dogs or cats by their tails to drag them - that's a no-no! Also, it is a fast way to get bitten or scratched!

Animals are not here to entertain us, although sometimes they do funny things. Zoos often miss the boat in educating children e.g. monkeys. Monkeys do not scratch themselves or make like they are laughing, or scream to entertain us.

Rodeos - Horses do not buck, twist and turn because they are wild animals - they do it because saddles are strapped on so tight that they are in great pain!

In order to help the animals live, they need the proper habitat to live in. Unfortunately, humans are particularly good at using every square yard of animal habitat, so that in the end, there is no place for them to live anymore. A good example is the Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). This species is classified, "Threatened" and is afforded some protection by Federal and State agencies. As the name implies, the Florida scrub jay thrives in a scrub, which is an extremely dry habitat. Their ideal environment is a relatively open flatwoods of oak or sand pine scrub with trees less than 10 feet tall, wide apart and providing minimal canopy cover. Most of this scrub is bare ground having a few plants that are less than half a foot tall. Florida scrub jays don't do well in damp and dark forests, so the dry, sandy, open locations prevalent along the Florida peninsula are what they call home.

These birds are extremely faithful to their habitat. As the habitat declines (and it does so at an alarming rate), so do the Florida Scrub Jay populations. Genetically, the Florida Scrub Jays are unique and it is only in Florida that they occur. I participated in some field work when I worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for about 10 years when I was younger, by color-banding and observing color-tagged Jays in Central Florida. It breaks my heart to see this species decline.

As a Franciscan, I am even sadder that there is so little we can do to protect the Florida Scrub Ecosystem from being gradually destroyed so that even more people can live in Florida. When is Florida full? When it is, will there be any animals left? It's a good question.

Fred Schaeffer, SFO
3-17-2007