Lebanon: Minister calls for better animal rights Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan urged the government Thursday to draft and enforce far stronger animal-welfare laws in a call welcomed by local animal-rights groups. “Lebanon suffers a [dearth] of animal-welfare legislation from pets to livestock and other animals,” said Hassan during the final day of an animal-welfare workshop. “The ministry encourages … the enactment of strict laws. We must make the issue of animal welfare compulsory and binding.” Welfare charity Animal Lebanon echoed Hassan's comments. The group's president, Lana al-Khalil, was invited to submit draft legislation to envoys of 12 Middle Eastern countries, recommending ways of preventing animal cruelty. UCLA researcher targeted by animal rights activists Animal rights activists have claimed responsibility for sending a package of razor blades to a UCLA researcher involved in animal studies. The Animal Liberation Front issued a statement yesterday saying that a group calling itself “The Justice Department of UCLA” had taken responsibility for the action, claiming the razors were laced with AIDS-infected blood. The animal rights group says the action was inspired by UCLA investigator David Jentsch's work injecting addictive drugs into rodents. The NIH has been a longtime backer of Jentsch's lab work. The scientist has been probing the chemical reactions that cause meth addiction, with additional work on speech disabilities and schizophrenia. This is the latest in a string of incidents involving researchers at UCLA who are targeted for harassment by animal rights groups. Jentsch, though, shows no signs of back down. New Ohio ag director will review animal care deal Ohio's next agriculture director plans to take a closer a look at a deal arranged by the outgoing governor and animal rights activists that would bring tougher laws governing farm animals. The agreement calls for a ban of certain crates and cages and prohibiting strangulation as a form of euthanasia for sick or injured animals. “There are a lot more unanswered questions,” James Zehringer, a former poultry farmer who's been a state lawmaker the past three years, said during an interview with The Associated Press. Sarah Palin's ‘snuff film' has animal rights group angry Though viewers are falling faster than bludgeoned halibuts (the show's ratings dropped by 40 percent to 3 million for Sunday's show), “Sarah Palin's Alaska” still has more than enough viewers to stir up controversy. Animal rights activists are up in arms over Palin's treatment of a halibut in the latest episode. In Defense of Animals has called the footage of Palin clubbing a halibut to death a “snuff film.” Alaska fisherman groups beg to differ, saying it's actually a humane technique to put down the large fish, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Israel: IDF fights for animal rights Combat soldiers from the Kfir Brigade recently caught three Palestinians illegally hunting for the coming Eid al-Adha holiday. The suspects were arrested and forces are on high alert When combat soldiers from the Shimshon battalion of the Kfir Brigade received a report about shootings east of Shechem last weekend (Nov. 20-21), they were sure it must have been an act of terrorism. Much to their surprise, when they arrived on scene, they discovered it had been a case of illegal hunting, the suspects three Palestinian men. BM
