Inside This Issue:
- Opposing the Unacceptable Anti-Hunting/Anti-Rural America Amendment That Was Added to the House Version of the Farm Bill
- Aquatic Virus Spreads to Human Eyes
- Discarded Vapes, Cigarettes, Reshaping the Behavior of Wild Animals
Opposing the Unacceptable Anti-Hunting/Anti-Rural America Amendment That was Added to the House Version of the Farm Bill
To understand the seriousness of the amendment added to the Farm Bill that you’ve been hearing about, here’s some additional info that might be helpful and give you a little more direction.
First, what is the Farm Bill (FB)? The Farm Bill is a giant multi-year appropriations bill for agriculture and related issues such as nutrition and rural issues. It is traditionally reauthorized every 5 years but has been off schedule since COVID. We strongly support and expect this extremely important funding bill to pass this year.
Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate develop versions of the Farm Bill, which are brought together at the end for the final bill. If there are substantive differences between the final House and Senate versions, they are resolved in a “conference committee” that is made up of members of both parties.
Currently, the House Committee on Agriculture is further along in preparing their bill for a floor vote than the Senate. During the House Agriculture Committee’s final mark-up of the FB, several last minute amendments were added, including the one everyone is rightly concerned about, HR 5017, which you can read here. Like similar animal rights proposals, it provides language that goes far beyond its stated goals, rendering common practices questionable and contestable under the law.
The House version could be brought to the floor soon, maybe within the month. The Senate Ag Committee will probably start finalizing their version of the FB within the next few weeks.
Although it’s a difficult task, it is possible that this amendment could be removed during the House debate when it’s presented there for a vote.
In our view, working to prevent this agenda-driven legislation from being added to the Senate version of the FB is likely to provide a more successful outcome. For this amendment to exist in the final law, it needs to be in both the House and the Senate versions of the FB that are passed. It is easier to prevent something from being added than it is to remove it later
Our recommendation is to write your representatives and senators now (find your congress members here) and let them know that you oppose the Anti-Hunting, Anti-Rural American amendment to the Farm Bill H.R. 5017. Put special effort into contacting your senators now and also the members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
Our group, NAIA, will be putting out a detailed alert within the next few days.
For more information contact Patti Strand, naia@naiaonline.org.
Aquatic Virus Spreads to Human Eyes
Another reason to thoroughly wash your hands.
Covert mortality nodavirus (CMV), a virus typically only found in sea creatures, has made a leap into humans in China, leading to serious eye problems that resemble glaucoma and in one case, permanent vision loss (yikes!). Researchers think people picked up this virus through handling aquatic animals or eating raw seafood, but there are also hints it could spread between people in close contact.
What’s wild is just how many types of animals are susceptible to CMV: everything from invertebrates to fish to mammals. We don’t want to sound like we’re praising a virus that attacks human eyeballs, but its flexibility is truly astounding. Scientists have named the resulting new eye condition “persistent ocular hypertension viral anterior uveitis” (POH-VAU), and after testing dozens of patients, every single one had signs of CMV, which had previously only been known to affect marine life. Most of the people affected were either aquatic animal handlers or fans of eating raw seafood, but a handful had no direct contact with sea creatures, raising questions about other ways the virus might spread. Researchers are now keeping a close watch on this virus, since it’s more common in sea life than anyone realized.
Source: Virus from marine animals is causing weird eye problems in people
Discarded Vapes, Cigarettes, Reshaping the Behavior of Wild Animals
More blue tits line their nests with Camels than any other cigarette.
Wild animals vaping and hoarding cigarettes is a jarring thought. We like to think of our vices as uniquely human – and it must be terribly unhealthy for a tiny furry or feathered animal to be exposed to human-sized doses of nicotine. But we came across two stories this week that involve urban critters – birds and squirrels – engaging with the detritus of human addiction.
So, apparently, our trash cluttering up the streets has made its way into the paws and beaks of local wildlife. In South London, a squirrel has gone viral after being spotted clutching an e-cigarette (Maybe it was acorn flavored?). Not to be outdone, a squirrel in Philly was seen nibbling on a fruity vape, probably drawn in by the sweet scent. Experts say they're probably more interested in the flavors than the nicotine, but either way, it’s not exactly nature’s idea of a good diet.
It turns out these animal vapers aren’t alone. In a far more interesting story, birds around the world are getting creative with their nests, too, weaving in cigarette butts and even building in actual ashtrays. Why? Well, because cigarettes are poisonous, duh! Birds have learned that nicotine and heavy metal-laden cigarette butts function like a pesticide, reducing the parasite load in nests and making for healthier chicks! Some birds, like blue tits in Europe, have even been caught adding more cigarette butts to their nests as more bugs show up. Still, before we start handing out packs at the park, there’s a catch: no matter how positively this issue is framed, nicotine is pretty dang toxic. So, while the practice of lining nests with cigarettes is associated with short term health improvements in baby birds, exposure to nicotine has also been shown to cause genetic damage in chicks, so the long-term effects may not be so great. This nest-building innovation is a reminder, albeit weird, that our discarded vapes and cigarette butts are more than unsightly trash – they actively shape the behavior of wild animals.
Source: Squirrels are ‘vaping’ e-cigarettes after mistaking fruity aromas for food, Why Are Birds So Obsessed With Cigarettes?
Also in the News...
★ Wyoming County farm, animals slammed by flood: 'My pigs were swimming' (Animal Care )
★ Jury finds Lancaster County man guilty of abandoning more than 20 animals (Eviction & Animal Cruelty)
★ Half-Blind Dog Stops Bear Attack To Protect Family, Farm Animals: 'She Had No Business Fighting' (Senior Dog Puts on a Cape)
★ World's oldest known land animal, Jonathan the tortoise, still alive at nearly 200 (Bad April Fools Jokes; Jonathan Is NOT Dead)
★ Orange County breaks ground on $49M animal services facility (Animal Services; Rescue & Shelter News)
★ (Video) New baby animals now at Bronx Zoo (Zoo Life; Baby Boom!)
★ The 23 weirdest, strangest animals on the planet (Lovely Oddball Lists; Racing Rodents; Kiss from a Batfish)
Click here to see what is happening legislatively
