Invasion Of The (Animal Rights) Body Snatchers

October 27, 2000 UK: Animal activists throwing rocks at the home and kennels of a major hunt last month caused the erection of a perimeter 10-foot barbed wire steel fence. Last week, more than 100 posters of chief huntsman Mike Brycroft, his wife and their 17-month old child, captioned "Meet the Brycrofts - they kill for fun" were put up in the local area. The Brycrofts are now under police guard as they prepare for the first meet of the season.

October 26, 2000 CT: Animal rights activists bidding on rights to trap on state land hope to deny trapping activity. On the heels of a court challenge that threw out state regulations requiring proof of trapping activity by successful bidders, the activists are ready to spend $36,000 again this year. In 1998, they won bids for 35 parcels amounting to 47,000 acres. In 1999, the court challenge effectively canceled the auction. This year, 160,000 acres is up for grabs on 122 parcels.

October 25, 2000 WI: Tina Kaske, animal rights activist and former public relations director for Alliance for Animals, filed a complaint with police in Madison based on claims that she had been called "trash" and a "terrorist" by talk show host John "Sly" Sylvester. Kaske claimed that Sylvester threatened to give out her home address over the air, that he asked callers to shoot off firearms as a tribute to her, and that an unknnown and ininvited 2 a.m. visitor at her apartment was somehow connected to Sylvester. Kaske left her position as Alliance for Animals spokeswoman because of the negative publicity. Police filed the complaint and never contacted Sylvester "because of his First Amendment rights."

October 23, 2000 UK: Two hunt members received death threats and car bombs. Both were on a publicized list of seven huntsmen considered to be "legitimate targets" by the Hunt Retribution Squad." All seven had received threatening letters on September 4, 2000. Amateur whip David Pitfield's van was destroyed by one bomb in South Nutfield, Surrey. The bomb under a woman hunt member's vehicle in East Sussex, discovered five hours later, did not detonate and was removed by army bomb experts. Both bombs were considered lethal.

October 22, 2000 UT: Animal rights groups are filing a lawsuit challenging Utah's passage of Proposition 5 in 1998, which established a constitutional requirement that citizen-driven initiatives to change the state's wildlife regulations must win 67 percent of the vote in 20 of Utah's 29 counties in order to pass. Plaintiffs in the suit include the Initiative & Referendum Institute of Washington, HSUS, Fund for Animals and Rep. David Jones, D-Salt Lake City.

October 21, 2000 NY: A Moriches, Long Island duck farm lost at least 19 ducks in an ALF activist raid. Some birds were taken, fences were cut to allow the escape of others, and ALF graffiti was spray-painted on buildings.

October 20, 2000 Finland: An estimated 1500 foxes were dyed with henna and breeding cards were removed from a fox farm near Iisalmi. An ALF communique claimed credit for the raid.

October 18, 2000 IN: ELF graffiti accompanied damage to heavy logging equipment in the Martin State Forest. Destruction included cut hoses, smashed gauges and sand poured into fuel tanks and radiators. Damages amounted to $55,000. ELF later claimed credit for the incident.

October 17, 2000 VA: HSUS, Fund for Animals, a coalition of Virginia voters and Philip Hirschkop joined others in filing a lawsuit contending that Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries fact sheets are partisan leaflets supporting a proposed amendment to the state's constitution and that the agency's action amounts to taking a position on the amendment. Plaintiffs seek removal of the fact sheet from distribution around the state and deletion of the same information on the agency's web site.

October 16, 2000 Netherlands: The Dutch ALF claimed responsibility for building damage and torching three meat delivery vans in Rotterdam.

October 16, 2000 Australia: The RSPCA is caught disseminating misinformation about electronic training collars. A look at the campaign also leads to speculation as to the foundation for criminalizing the use of electronic collars in several Australian states, and the source for the Department of Customs definition of electronic collars as an illegal import, along with hand grenades and rocket launchers. During a court proceeding which led to an injunction against the RSPCA, a picture of a dog claimed to have an electronic collar-generated neck burn was found to have been a picture of a dog with an infection, not a burn. A photo of an RSPCA officer's arm showed three "burn" marks corresponding to the three probes of a No-Bark collar while the middle probe is actually plastic and conducts no electricity. Innotek Australia also introduced evidence of university research showing a collar's output to be 3000 times less than an electric fence, 50 times below the human threshold of pain and 6 times less than static electricity.

October 14, 2000 South Africa: Animal wildlife expert Ron Thomson, former head of Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park, sounded an elephant overpopulation alarm, noting that with elephant numbers doubling every ten years, huge swaths of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana would be reduced to an uninhabitable desert. Thomson, calling for a lifting of the ivory trade ban, accused animal rights groups of hijacking the conservation debate by putting the sanctity of elephants above all else. "This is a fundamental error. It will lead to the destruction of the soil and plants which sustains them along with countless other species." Thomson estimated that half of the current 200,000 elephant population would have to be culled in order to avoid massive desertification problems.

October 14, 2000 MA: A security system warning apparently headed off a mink release in Hinsdale. At least two trespassers had cut 25 feet of fencing and entered sheds but were unsuccessful in releasing mink.

October 9, 2000 Norway: Animal rights activists released more than 1500 mink at a farm in southern Norway. About half were captured, but many of them were at risk of dying from exposure suffered during the release.

October 7, 2000 PA: Fund for Animals and others joined as plaintiffs in a lawsuit aimed at preventing a state-controlled bobcat hunt designed to reduce the bobcat population in the state by 5%. Bobcats are not endangered or threatened in the state.

October 6, 2000 WA: 29 animal rights activists are suing the city for civil rights violations connected with their arrest and detention at an anti-fur demonstration during the Democratic National Convention in Seattle. Claims include being forced to sit handcuffed or stand with their hands behind their heads in the sun for hours without water, vegetarian food, or medical attention, being strip searched and having been prohibited from calling lawyers. Charges against 41 of the 42 people arrested in the demonstration were eventually dismissed.

October 3, 2000 Washington DC: USDA agreed in an out of court settlement to expand its regulation of research animals to include rats, mice and birds. The agreement is the result of a lawsuit instituted by the American Anti-Vivisection Society, an animal rights group. The cost to biomedical laboratories is estimated to be $80-90 million if implemented. The agreement has yet to be approved by a federal judge.

September 26, 2000 Denmark: ALF vandals released more than 4000 mink from two Danish farms overnight, one near Soeroe and the other near Frederikssund.

September 25, 2000 Denmark: ALF vandals released 8000 mink in a night time raid at a fur farm near Frederikssund.

September 26, 2000 CA: Protesters at Bouvray Furs, a Los Angeles jewelry store, were arrested after an incident caught on videotape where two demonstrators kicked the locked security screen to the store. 42 animal rights activists were arrested, two were charged. One wound up going before a judge. The convicted protester, when finally identified by the court, was wanted in Illinois for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and had a prior conviction for aggravated sexual assault.

September 24, 2000 CA: Four protesters locked themselves together at the neck in an anti-fur demonstration at Bloomingdale's, Sherman Oaks. Store personnel surrounded the protesters with curtains and turned on music to drown out the chanting until police arrived. Two adults were held in jail in lieu of $10,000 bail and two juveniles were released to their parents.

September 17, 2000 OR: ALF activists struck Sunshine Dairy Foods, the smallest dairy in Portland, causing $3000 damage to vans, refrigerated trucks and a building.

September 28, 2000 NY: Andrew Stepanian, president of the Animal Defense League, was convicted of criminal mischief for throwing wooden logs through the window of a Huntington, Long Island fur store. Stepanian's cohort in the night time attack pled guilty to one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief on May 19th and was sentenced to 45 days in jail and given three months probation. Stepanian faces two and one-third to seven years in prison, with sentencing to be pronounced on November 17, 2000.

September 20, 2000 VA: In a night time raid, vandals painted golden arches on the front of PETA's Norfolk headquarters and threw raw ground meat at the building.

September 17, 2000 Finland: ALF raiders returned to the Christer Ronlunds mink farm which was raided three days earlier and this time released 2000 to 2500 mink.

September 14, 2000 Finland: The Finnish ALF raided the Christer Ronlunds mink farm near Voyri, releasing 600 mink.

September 13, 2000 NC: ALF forces claim credit for the release of 20 cats from the Gaston County Animal Shelter. Subsequent damage assessment by the County revealed destroyed fencing enclosures, a broken door and the absence of 58 cats which had been rounded up as part of an anti-rabies initiative to protect staff and students at nearby Belmont Abbey College.

September 12, 2000 Faroe Islands: A Faroese court fined Paul Watson $37,000 (US) or 60 days in prison in the case of nonpayment. The penalty was based on Watson's violation of Faroe Island immigration laws when he entered Faroese waters with the vessel "Ocean Warrior" to protest a Faroese pilot whale hunt this past summer. Watson, unwelcome in Faroese waters and persona non grata in all the Nordic countries, chose to be judged in absentia.

September 11, 2000 IL: The National Dairy Council and the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board went on the offensive, noting that the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and PETA are trying, with their current anti-milk campaign, to generate media coverage on an animal rights agenda based on little fact and no actual news. Both dairy organizations point out that PCRM's milk-cancer connection views have been repeatedly denounced by the American Medical Association, National Osteoporosis Foundation and the American Council on Science and Health. In fact, the researchers who conducted the health study used by PCRM to support their publicity campaign disagree with PCRM's position on the issue.

September 9, 2000 IN: A fire at the Republican Party Committee Headquarters in Bloomington caused $1,500 damage to the exterior of the building. A communique from ELF claimed credit, blaming plans to extend an interstate highway, stating that the arson was "a reminder to politicians…that we are watching and that we will not sit idly by as they push for plans like I-69."

September 5, 2000 UK: In a partial summary of protest and intimidation, Huntingdon Life Sciences reports that their 750-employee facility receives about 500 abusive telephone calls per day, 200 at the switchboard and 300 directly to extensions within the system. All calls are recorded. Examples include, "You torturer, I hope you get cancer." "If I saw you on the street, I would stab you in the face." "You f** animal torturer, you animal abuser, you f** bitch." "I hope you get cancer, I hope you get murdered on the way home from work today." Employees of HLS also receive similarly intimidating mail at their homes.
September 5, 2000 Taiwan: A campaign started last June by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection and the Animal Protection Institute produced results when China Airlines announced that effective September 5th, it would no longer accept live primates destined for experimentation as cargo. China Airlines was the second largest carrier of primates to the US in 1999. Delta instituted an embargo in June and joined TWA, United and Continental in refusing to transport monkeys to the US. Other carriers have repeatedly rejected the urging of animal rights forces to end such shipments.

September 5, 2000 UK: After the recent rash of car firebombings outside the personal residences of employees at the beleaguered Huntingdon Life Sciences research facility employees have been told to register their cars at the company address, rather than their homes. One researcher, speaking out on the pressure, indicated that she is now on medication and having firebombing nightmares and struggling to put in 1 ½ workdays a week. She has been harassed going to and coming from work, firebombed at home with damages of 5,000 pounds, and assailed even on her new mobile phone number.

September 2, 2000 WA: A Seattle woman who demonstrated in opposition to the Makah whale hunt by racing her personal watercraft too close to a Makah Indian Canoe was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service and to stay away from the Makah Indian reservation. Erin Abbott, age 24, sustained a broken shoulder in the incident when a Coast Guard 21-foot inflatable boat collided with her. Abbott's attorney has announced an intent to sue the Coast Guard over the matter.

September 2, 2000 Italy: PETA activists dumped manure outside the venue for the fashion week catwalk shows in Milan. Torrential rains happened to beat clean-up service personnel to the punch, washing away the entire mess shortly after the incident.

September 2, 2000 UK: Animal rights protestors rampaged through Surrey and Burstow Fox Hound Kennels at Felbridge, Surrey, hurling bricks and stones and spraying CS gas. One police officer needed hospital treatment after the raid. Animal rights spokesperson Dawn Preston said the incident had been provoked the day before, when a hunt saboteur had been "deliberately run-over" at Horsted Keynes.

August 30, 2000 Wellington, CO: ALF activists ripped wire from two bird coops, broke a lock on a rat cage and drilled through a corrugated metal wall before tripping a motion sensor alarm and fleeing from Genesis Laboratories. Activists claimed that the predawn raid scattered 168 bobwhites and 11 ducks, all of which were native wildlife from eastern Colorado and Wyoming and which were undergoing animal experimentation. Genesis Labs corrected the information by explaining that the birds were quail and mallards, most of which had been bred in captivity. The ducks had clipped wings, could not fly and did not return, so were assumed eaten by other wildlife in the area. Some quail were found dead at the coop, apparently killed from stress and mishandling during the raid. Some of the quail were to be used in an EPA study to determine whether poisons used to kill rodents would harm birds, and others were simply aviary residents. The raid caused about $500 in physical damage, inestimable costs for bird losses, and resulted in the hiring of armed security to protect the property.

August 28, 2000 UK: "Urban terrorists" are blamed for planting fire bombs under cars outside the homes of Huntingdon Life Sciences workers. Five of six went off, destroying two cars and badly damaging three others. No people were injured, but one family had to be rescued from their home through a back door and a 7-month pregnant woman had to be treated for shock. Since becoming a target for animal rights protests, the cost for Cambridgeshire police involvement alone in the Huntingdon Labs controversy has run up to one million pounds.

August 23, 2000 Washington, DC: McDonald's Corp., which has long been targeted by animal rights protests, adverse publicity campaigns and the bombing and vandalizing of its franchise establishments world wide by animal rights forces, announced recently that they have adopted new standards for the treatment of animals by their suppliers. These standards were the work of their own panel of scientific advisers and are to be "a natural evolution from our animal welfare program," according to Robert Langert, senior director of public and community affairs for McDonalds. Langert asserted that "This is our pathway to be a leader on this issue." (See related news item dated June 27, 2000.)

August 15, 2000 Los Angeles, CA: 25 protesters were arrested after banging on the windows of Edward Borovay Furs during the second day of the Democratic National Convention.

August 12, 2000 Los Angeles, CA: An activist dressed in a pink pig costume dumped four tons of animal manure in front of a hotel housing Democratic National Convention guests. The activist was arrested and the truck impounded.

August 6, 2000 Holland: An ALF communiqué claimed responsibility for the torching of two storage buildings and the subsequent release of mink from a mink farm in Barchem. The farm had been "visited" by ALF twice previously, with the claimed release of more than 10,000 mink.

July 31, 2000 Dusty, WA: Anti-biotech activists used machetes and scythes to destroy five acres of genetically engineered canola at Monsanto facilities.

July 31, 2000 Norfolk, VA: Reports from Richmond, Virginia indicate that PETA took in 2,103 companion animals last year, found homes for 386, and euthanized 1,325.

July 27, 2000 Minneapolis, MN: Preliminary estimates for security at the International Society for Animal Genetics conference indicate that it was the most expensive police action in state history, approaching $1 million. According to the Hennepin County Sheriff's department, riot gear, preparations, food, logistics, trooper availability, buses and drivers and additional deputy availability tallied more than $770 thousand, with figures yet to be determined for overtime for about 100 deputies; overtime for between 400 and 500 officers; and costs for sending 50 officers to Minneapolis.

July 27, 2000 New Orleans: "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett obtained a restraining order against an irate viewer who sent a threatening message to him after viewing the episode that included survivors eating rats. According to court papers, the message read: "Thankfully, there are people out there who have no qualms about (vengeance) against those who profit and glorify from the deaths of animals." The order prohibits following, contacting, or distributing information about how to contact Burnett.

July 22, 2000 Milo, ME: Activists destroyed 1500-2000 genetically engineered trees at MEAD Corporation facilities.

July 21, 2000 Anchorage, AK: The Sierra Club, Greenpeace USA, and the American Oceans Campaign won a federal US District Court ruling in Seattle that bans trawling for pollock, cod and other fish in Alaska waters. The ban, citing a "reasonably certain threat of imminent harm" to Stellar sea lions, covers waters deemed to be critical habitat for the animals. Estimates of losses by the fishing industry if the ban affects the last half of this year and the first half of next year amount to more than $275 million.

July 20, 2000 Rheinlander, WI: ELF claimed credit for a July 19, 2000 attack defacing US Forest Service trucks and destroying 500 research pine and broadleaf trees and saplings. A guard at the North Central Research Station Forest Biotechnology Laboratory in Rheinlander, Wisconsin discovered the vandalism in progress and prevented further damage.

July 15, 2000 Ann Arbor, MI: Activists cut through fencing and locks at the Humane Society of Huron Valley over the weekend and removed a dog on death row. The animal had been the subject of court battles for two years after biting a newspaper carrier delivering a paper to the home of the owner. The dog was held at a shelter until it attacked another dog and an evaluator, after which it was transferred to Huron Valley.

July 20, 2000 Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Activists destroyed a research cornfield, leaving graffiti denouncing genetic engineering. The field was where Dr. Barbara McClintock's studies of Indian corn genetics in the 1940's led to a Nobel prize for her work. The corn plants that were destroyed also happened to be the result of natural plant breeding.

July 11, 2000 Copenhagen, Denmark: Activists released 1800 mink from a farm north of Copenhagen in a night raid. 1700 were recovered. This farm was also attacked in the spring of 1998. July 11, 2000, Washington, DC The Performing Animal Welfare Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Fund for Animals and the Animal Welfare Institute pooled their resources to file suit against Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, charging Ringling Brothers and its parent company with violating the Endangered Species Act and other animal protection laws.

July 10, 2000 Surrey, UK: A rabbit farmer of 22 years handed over 600 of his 1000 rabbits to animal rights activists for placement, with the remainder to be given up next week. Activists targeted the farm as a lab animal production facility and forced the concession by laying siege to the farmer's home for 12 days, smashing windows and threatening his staff and family.

July 9, 2000 Long Island, NY: ALF activists claimed credit for smashing 20 large plate glass windows in the early morning hours at Macy's in Garden City, and painting anti-fur slogans on the side of the building.

July 10, 2000 Corpus Christi, TX: Three men were arrested from a crowd of approximately 70 protesting a proposed dolphin exhibit at the Texas State Aquarium. Construction of the 400,000 gallon habitat exhibit is awaiting the raising of $1.5 million in funds. One protester, lashed to one of two 15-foot steel tripods that were placed in a roadway, was detained and found to be carrying what police described as crack cocaine. Another was arrested for disorderly conduct and a third was arrested for inciting a riot.

July 3, 2000 Austria: The ALF is credited with an early morning fire that destroyed two generators, a tractor and a part of a circus tent and a truck belonging to the Circus Knie, an Austrian National Circus.

July 2, 2000 North Vernon, IN: A fire destroyed a truck and caused an estimated $100,000 damage at the Rose Acre chicken farm. At the feed mill, the words "Polluter, animal exploiter, your turn to pay" were spray-painted on a concrete wall, along with the letters "ALF." The incident also disrupted the feeding routine at the 1.8 million chicken ranch.

June 29, 2000 Bloomington, IN: The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) claimed credit for spiking trees in two counties in southern Indiana. "Hundreds" of spikes were claimed to have been set both high and low in trees on timber sales that were prepared for cutting. Officials have found about 20 such spikes to date.

June 27, 2000 Chicago, IL: PETA bargained with McDonald's, offering to abandon its "Unhappy Meal" campaign against the chain if McDonald's would agree to stop buying eggs and pork from US suppliers who confine animals in cages or stalls considered by PETA to be too small. PETA also sought McDonald's non-buying agreements from producers who remove beaks from hens to prevent pecking injuries. The "Unhappy Meals" are mock-ups of McDonald's children's hamburger meal box, but with Ronald McDonald brandishing .a bloody knife on the side of the box, and toy animals with missing heads and limbs found inside. PETA said it would call for regular demonstrations around the world and would pass out Unhappy Meals in Great Britain. (See related news item dated August 23, 2000.)

June 24, 2000 Honolulu, HI: A federal court order protecting endangered and threatened sea turtles called for 100% of longline ships to have a federal observer on board on every fishing trip within 30 days or face suspension until compliance is achieved. The National Marine Fisheries Service has two trained observers stationed in Honolulu, and the longline fishery includes 115 boats and 600 crew members. The order was written to remain in effect until the NMFS completes an environmental impact statement on how the fishery affects sea turtle populations. NMFS was given until April 1, 2001 to complete the task.

June 24, 2000 Eugene, Oregon: Anarchists with past actions linked to timber sale disruption and rain forest demonstrations were indicted on arson charges for allegedly trying to set fire to a 12,000 gallon gasoline tanker truck. On May 27, a driver for Tyree Oil found a section of cloth stuck in the fuel tank of his double-trailer fuel truck. The cloth was draped over a gallon milk jug filled with fuel and soap. Two devices were set, but crude ignition delay mechanisms failed to ignite the jugs. Jeffrey Michael Luers, 21, and Craig Andrew Marshall, 27 were arrested for this incident while being investigated for (and subsequently charged with) another arson that had caused $40,000 damage at a car dealership.

June 19, 2000 UK: Animal rights activists have been sending death threats to scientists conducting "badger culling trials," experiments designed as part of a five-year trial to establish if there is a link between badgers and TB in cattle. The harassment has been going on for two years, but the increased gravity of threats warranted increased police protection. A spokesman for scientists noted the irony that the trials might lead to fewer badgers being killed, as there is no clear evidence that badgers are to blame for bovine TB to date.

June 16, 2000 Paris, France: Brigitte Bardot was found guilty of inciting "hatred or racial violence" by a French court and fined $3,000. Her offense consisted of including criticizism in her book of a Muslim festival in which sheep are slaughtered.

June 15, 2000 Lyndeborough, NH: Activists tore down a fence and released approximately 500 mink from Richard Gauthier's farm. He recovered about 200 by the afternoon of the incident, but many were nursing mothers that required matching back up with their offspring. About 100 litters remained without mothers. Gauthier's farm was vandalized in 1998 and he has received a threatening letter filled with razor blades.

June 14, 2000 Sacramento, CA: Activists have filed a million-dollar civil rights violation lawsuit against the University of California, the chief of a primate research lab, the UC Davis chancellor and police. The suit alleges beating and falsely arresting animal rights demonstrators, and is the second such suit in two years to be lodged against UC. The plaintiffs were arrested on June 12, 1999 at a primate lab protest and all had their charges dismissed. They have charged violations of US and California civil rights laws, false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and excessive force.

May 22, 2000 Washington, DC: US Fish & Wildlife Service records dating from October 1997 through January 1998 were ordered destroyed, according to a USF&W employee. The 8-year employee, Bonnie Kline, testified at House Resources Subcommittee hearings that she was instructed to destroy the computer files, which apparently contained information on spending that was sought by the House Resources Subcommittee. She refused the order. She then lost her security clearance, the combination to her safe was changed, and she now says the files are missing. No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the disappearing files.

May 21, 2000 UK: A meat processing plant in Oxfordshire had ten bombs planted, one exploded and nine defused by bomb disposal officers. No injuries occurred in the attack, no one claimed responsibility for it. It was the second incident in as many hours as Regal Rabbits was attacked, with a 7-rabbit release by ALF in Great Bookham, Surrey.

May 18, 2000 Philadelphia, PA: An animal rights group based in Helsinki, Finland, is reported as attempting to dismantle barriers against US import of human body parts - to enable the sale stateside of PetCloaks fashions. These articles are reported to be animal clothing created from the skins of cadavers in the Far East and distributed by "Animal Mights," a fringe group in Helsinki. Spokesperson Maija Kiiski maintains that "turnabout is fair play."

May 16, 2000 UK: After picketing at least two homes earlier in the month, arsonists attacked the animal testing staff of Huntingdon Life Sciences research laboratory. Cars belonging to four members of the animal lab's staff were set on fire; two of the fires spread to houses where children were sleeping. No one was injured. The fires were set simultaneously, apparently to make local fire suppression response more difficult.

May 16, 2000 Burlington, WA: ALF burglars steal more than 200 chickens from an egg farm. Activists cut wire on about 60 cages and took approximately $1,500 worth of chickens.

May 9, 2000 Kauai, Hawaii: Hawaiian "elves" destroyed corn crop research at the Novartis center on Kauai. A group calling themselves the "Menehune" claimed credit for the raid, which described complete destruction of one test plot and enough pollen mixing throughout other test plots to invalidate the experiments.

May 1, 2000 UK: May Day demonstrators rampaging through central London hurled bricks and bottles at police, smashed store and car windows, and trashed a McDonald's restaurant, breaking windows, tearing down the large "M" sign and distributing food. Three police officers and nine civilians were hospitalized and nine other policemen suffered minor injuries. 42 were arrested.

May, 2000 UK/NY: Huntingdon Life Sciences pressure tactics against stockholders are proposed for US colleagues at a New York annual meeting of Huntingdon Life Sciences.

April 26, 2000 UK: The Association of the British Pharmaceuticals Industry warned that Britain's drug companies could be forced to shift their research activities abroad to avoid an outbreak of terrorist attacks by animal rights groups. Association president Bill Fullagar noted the recent rise in biophobia and animal extremism, stating, "It cannot fail to have an effect on considerations about how and where we do research." See May 16, 2000 for related information.

April 25, 2000 UK: AMP news reports that blackmail charges were filed against the leader of a group that had targeted stockholders of Huntingdon Life Sciences. Niels Hansen was questioned regarding 1,700 counts of alleged blackmail, which corresponded to the number of letters sent to stockholders warning of protests outside their homes unless they sold their stock in the company. See May 16, 2000 for related information.

April 24, 2000 San Diego, CA: 17 windows were broken at Neiman Marcus department store, ALF graffiti reported to have been apparent at the scene.

April 19, 2000 Dinan, France: A bomb explosion at a McDonald's restaurant killed an employee - a 28-year old relative of the owner. The bomb shattered windows and blew off a part of the restaurant's roof. No one has stepped up to claim credit for the bombing, but the Breton Revolutionary Army, which is seeking greater autonomy for Brittany's Breton-speaking population, is at least one suspect group. However, the mayor of Dinan, Rene Benoit, said that Dinan "is a very calm town. It has no link to the Breton independence movement, which some people say is linked to the attack."

April 8, 2000 Salt Lake City, UT: ALF graffiti was left at a burglarized leather shop, at a Burger King and two Arby's restaurants. Vandals smashed windows, scattered glass and spray-painted the buildings.

April 7, 2000 Sonoma County, CA: An anti-biotech group calling itself the "Petaluma Pruners" destroyed grape plant root stock grown by the biotechnology corporation Vinifera. April 1, 2000 University of Minnesota: A group calling itself the "Genetic Jokers" trashed 6 vehicles belonging to the US Forest Service, sprayed graffiti, jammed locks and coated windows with etching cream at the offices of the USFS North Central Forest Experiment Station research building.

April, 2000 San Diego, CA: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine puts up a billboard in opposition to the March of Dimes.

March 29, 2000 British Columbia: A group calling itself the "Ministry of Forest Defense" destroyed 1,600 test trees at a provincial seed orchard.

March 28, 2000 UK: A radical animal rights organization threatens doorstep protests against stockholders of Huntingdon Life Sciences unless they sell their holdings. Share prices fell heavily on the London Exchange immediately after the threat. See April 25, 2000 report for further action on this item.

March 27, 2000 Boston, Mass: Four protesters were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct outside the nation's largest biotechnology conference.

March 25, 2000 Minnesota: ELF claimed credit for sabotaging construction equipment and materials being used in a highway rerouting that was claimed to endanger water resources. They smashed parts, cut hoses and dumped dirt and sand into the gas tanks and oil tubes of four vehicles, and destroyed a half mile of survey stakes.

March 25, 2000 Chandler, AZ: Revlon manager Richard D. Simer's finger was blown off and his legs and chest were peppered with shrapnel when he opened a package bomb addressed to him and delivered to his driveway. No suspects have been named and no person or group has claimed credit for the bombing.

March 17, 2000 San Francisco Bay Area: The College of Notre Dame in Belmont, CA, experienced the unplanned end of a 72-year old research project when thieves broke into a university professor's animal trailer and stole all 250 test mice from their cages. Biology professor Elizabeth Center's work with the mice utilized generational observations of colony development that started in 1928 in seeking causes of genetic birth defects and osteoporosis. No animal rights groups have claimed credit for the rodent theft.

March 13, 2000 Viroqua, Wisconsin: ALF claimed responsibility for attempting to torch a former mink feed supply house. The warehouse once served as Kickapoo Fur Foods, but now houses gourmet dog food. The incendiary devices failed to ignite and caused minimal damage.

March 10, 2000 New York: Chrissy Hynde, lead singer of The Pretenders, along with PETA president Ingrid Newkirk, Paul Haje and Paul Chetirkin were charged with criminal mischief and trespassing after they tore leather and suede garments inside a display window at a Gap store in midtown Manhattan.

March 3, 2000 Holland: ALF releases 2-3,000 mink in conjunction with raid noted above on February 27, 2000/

March, 2000 UK: In the first week of March, 2000, while the head of a lab monkey production center slept in her home, along with her husband and 12-year old son, arsonists broke into their garage and torched their two cars. The woman, a former veterinarian, has been the subject of continuing attacks. Last year 25 men and women hid behind balaclavas and used bricks to smash the front and side windows of her house and the family cars. She has driven into her remote-controlled entry garage to find four thugs waiting with sledge hammers to smash the front, side and back windows of her car while she was trapped inside. A hearse was sent to her house after a local undertaker had been told that she was dead. The staff at her place of employment has received threatening letters with razors inside, and they have also had similar visits at their homes from terrorists. Local authorities are investigating the current incident as an arson, seeking ALF suspects.

February 27, 2000 San Francisco Bay Area: An ALF tag was left on the building after smashing 29 windows at Neiman Marcus causing $100,000 in damages. Two activists attending a fur protest at the same location the following day were arrested and charged with trespassing and felony vandalism in connection with the damage. ALF's Bay area damage claims from December 20, 1999 through this incident amount to an estimated $500,000.

February 27, 2000 Holland: ALF claimed credit for releasing two to three thousand mink in combination with a raid on March 3, 2000, at mink farms in the villages of Putten and Barchem. The release was timed to preempt the breeding season. The group also took breeding cards and destroyed them off site and left ALF graffiti and the reminder "While you sleep, ALF destroys your world."

February 25, 2000 San Francisco Bay Area: ALF used incendiary devices to burn down four trucks at B&K Universal in Fremont.

February 15, 2000 Vancouver, BC: A group calling itself "The Lorax" claimed credit for inserting 5- and 10-inch spikes into hundreds of trees in the Elaho Valley, about 3 hours north of Vancouver, BC. Reasons for the action were claimed as tree cutting prevention and preservation of grizzly bear habitat.

February 9, 2000 University of Minnesota: ELF claimed credit for overturning 800 genetically engineered oat plants that were the subject of a disease resistance experiment. They also sabotaged construction vehicles and sifted salt into concrete destined for a controversial highway project in Minneapolis.

February 6, 2000 Bellingham, WA: Psychology labs in Miller hall at Western Washington University were spray painted. Suspects were the same ALF activists who released rats and rabbits in October, 1999.

January 29, 2000 Monroe, WA: Activists broke in and released 60 mink from Brainard's Fur Farm in Monroe, Washington.

February 23, 2000 San Francisco Bay Area: The Sonoma County Farm Bureau announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of ALF-claimed raids in the Bay area. Later, on March 16, 2000, the Farm Bureau's office was broken into, trashed, files strewn, desk contents scattered, but nothing of value was taken. No one yet has claimed responsibility for the vandalism.

January 24, 2000 Bloomington, IN: ELF claimed credit for torching a house in a development that was criticized as endangering the water supply for the Bloomington area. The $200,000 in damage destroyed the start of a $700,000 finished product.

January 23, 2000 San Francisco Bay Area: ALF attempted arson by inserting flammable material through the mail slot at Primate Products in Redwood City.

January 20, 2000 Long Island, NY: ALF launched multiple attacks on 7 fur stores across Nassau and Suffolk counties in early morning hours. Damage included broken windows, damaged vehicles, locks glued shut, graffiti, lighting destruction, billboard damage and utility vandalism.

January 16, 2000 Plymouth, Wisconsin: Two vanloads of masked terrorists descended on the farm of Gene Meyer and proceeded to harass and terrorize him. His neighbor copied down the visitors' license plate numbers and called the police, who then found the vans and the occupants and arrested 14 suspects, ranging in age from 17 to 26. Meyer's farm had been the target of a mink raid on August 9, 1999, when 3,000 animals were released. On that date also, the United Feed mill, just 10 minutes away, was torched, causing $1.2 million in damage. Both actions were claimed for credit by the ALF. Among those charged with disorderly conduct while masked were Kim Berardi, 22, director of the Animal Defense League of Chicago; and Matthew Bullard, 25, of the Student Organization for Animal Rights in Minnesota.

January 15, 2000 San Francisco Bay Area: ALF planted five incendiary devices in offices and trucks at Petaluma Farms. All ignited. Two trucks were destroyed.

January 11, 2000 San Francisco Bay Area: The "Reclaim the Seeds" group broke into the Western Regional Research Center of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service at the U of Cal's Plant Gene Expression Center in Albany, CA. Their communique claimed to have destroyed over half the crop and to have "ruined the experiment."

January 10, 2000 Stanwood, WA: ALF was credited for a raid on the R&R Research and Rabbitry facility in Stanwood, which took 23 rabbits.

January 3, 2000 San Francisco Bay Area: ALF planted five incendiary devices in offices, storage facilities and trucks at Rancho Veal Corp. in Petaluma. Rancho Veal was hit in 1997 by ALF, too. The current arson created $250,000 in damages.

January 3, 2000 UK: In a second mink raid on Crowhill Farm in Ringwood in less than 18 months, ALF released 300 of the 1,400 animals at the facility. The prior raid released up to 3,000 into the surrounding countryside.

January 1, 2000 Belgium: ALF attacked a store of the Belgian fur company Pelsland by pouring benzine through a ventilation duct and lighting it. The fire went out for lack of oxygen without damaging the building severely. An ALF spray-painted tag was left at the scene.

December 31, 1999 Michigan State University: ELF claimed responsibility for torching the Agriculture Hall, destroying property and years of research on genetically engineered crops. Damages have been estimated at more than $1 million. Catherine Ives, a target in the raid, lost academic records, lecture notes, slide presentations, books, and her passport in the fire, describing it as seeing her entire career go up in smoke. Her $18 million program was targeted by ELF for accepting funding from Monsanto. Ives acknowledged that Monsanto once did contribute $2,000 to her program to train African farmers in modern agricultural methods.

December 25, 1999 Monmouth, Oregon: Forest industry Boise Cascade's regional headquarters were destroyed in a fire. Credit claimed by Earth Liberation Front (ELF). Damages were estimated at $1 million.

December 20, 1999 San Francisco Bay Area: ALF attempted major destruction but failed in an arson attempt at Fulton Poultry Processors. One of four incendiary devices went off, causing minor damage.

November 20, 1999 Washington State University: ALF raid on poultry research facility, destruction and trashing in several labs and offices.

October 26, 1999 UK: Graham Hall, award-winning TV filmmaker was tortured by animal rights extremists in a sadistic revenge ritual. Earlier this year Hall won the highest award British TV can bestow for his expose on the fanatics behind the Animal Liberation Front. Eleven months following airing of his expose he was kidnapped at gun point, blindfolded and driven to an unidentified house where he was bound and told he would be killed. After several hours his assailants surrounded him, forced his head between his legs and burned ALF into his bare back in 4" high letters using a branding iron. According to Hall, as they ended their branding ritual one of them made a comment about justice being done and another chuckled something about the justice department, which is the name given to the part of ALF that takes credit for criminal actions against people, as opposed to property. Before the ordeal ended animal extremists threatened to harm Hall's family, to torch his house and to kill him if he went to the police. Hall's back is permanently mutilated from the branding. Surveillance equipment picked up an intruder attempting to climb into his yard carrying something that looked like a pickaxe handle. Once spotted, the intruder quickly retreated.

While denying any knowledge of the attack, Robin Webb, ALF's official spokesperson issued a chilling warning to Hall and any others who might try to get in the way of the Animal Liberation Front's crusade saying, "people who make a living in this way have to expect from time to time to take the consequences of their actions."

October 25, 1999 USA: Following a communique by an animal rights group calling itself the Justice Department warning that it mailed over eighty razor blade,booby-trapped packages to primate research scientists, seven such envelopes were received by primate research facilities in various parts of the country.In September similar envelopes with razor blades, some dipped in rat poison,were mailed to fur farmers.

October 24, 1999 Bellingham, WA: Animal rightists broke into Western Washington University stealing several laboratory animals.Campus police said that the vandalismassociated with the break in points to the Animal LiberationFront.October 22,1999 Warwick, Rhode Island:In the early morning hours a fur store's delivery van was destroyed by fire.Local police believe the fire was set by a radical animal-rights group.The Animal Liberation Front's acronym "ALF" was spray painted on the building along with slogans against killing animals.

October 24, 1999 Western Washington University: ALF raid, 37 rats and 4 rabbits released.

October 16, 1999 Nassau, Long Island, NY: The Animal Liberation Front attacked four McDonalds outlets in Nassau, Long Island, NY. Total damage costs from the broken windows and spray paint exceeded $23,000.

September 4, 1999 USA: The Justice Department, an animal rights terrorism organization, claimed responsibility for booby-trapped razor blade packages sent through the mail to dozens of mink farmers, fur farm suppliers, and fur industry officials. The Frontline Information Service of the Animal Liberation Front reported that the envelopes included the following message: "You have been targetted (sic). You have until autumn of ther (sic) year 2000 to release all of your animal captives and get out of the bloody fur trade. If you do not heed our warning your violence will be turned back upon you." Some of the razor blades had been dipped in rat poison.

August, 1999 USA: Biotech crop killers calling themselves the "Seeds of Resistance" hacked down a half-acre plot of experimental corn at the University of Maine-owned Rogers Farm. Plant gene-splicing in this experiment was aimed at reducing the need for herbicide use.

August 31, 1999, Fulton County, GA: ALF torches a McDonalds restaurant. 1998, Belgium: The ALF claimed responsibility for nine attacks against McDonalds and another fast food restaurant.

August 29, 1999 Orange, California: The Animal Liberation Front stole 46 dogs from Bio-Devices Inc., a research facility. ALF spray-painted "Vivisection is Fraud" and "Animal Liberation" on the walls.

August 28, 1999 West Islip, Long Island, New York: The Animal Liberation Front took credit for stealing a stump-tailed macaque from a pet store on August 27.

August 23, 1999 Westboro, Massachusetts: Eight animal-rights activists face charges they threatened to kill a man they believed was an animal researcher, police said. The suspects, some dressed in military fatigues and wearing black bandannas over their faces, allegedly confronted the man at his Northboro home late Saturday night and yelled, "Animals live and he's going to die." Police said the suspects damaged the man's mailbox and threw a rock through the car window of someone who was visiting him. No one was injured.

August 14, 1999 Salisbury, Maryland: Vandals broke into Frank Parson's Mink Ranch at about 5 a.m. and released about 20 animals.

August 12, 1999 Antwerp, Belgium: A McDonald's fast food restaurant was burnt to the ground today, and police believe the fire was the work of a militant animal rights group that has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past. The letters "ALF" were painted at the scene.

August 11, 1999 USA: Farmers from several US states received dangerous mail today. The envelope size varied from standard size 10 business envelopes in gray to 9x11 or business-size envelopes in white or manila. Inside were 3x5 inch index cards with razor blades attached with a written threat to get out of the fur trade and a drawing of a bomb. All were postmarked in New York.

August 9, 1999 Plymouth, Wisconsin: During the early morning hours, United Feeds' mill in Plymouth, Wisconsin was burned to the ground. The Animal Liberation Front claimed credit for the $1.5 million blaze in a report that said they "strategically placed four incendiary devices in the mill."

August 9, 1999 Plymouth, Wisconsin: Between 2-3 a.m., vandals released 3000 mink from Gene Myer's Fur Farm. A neighbor videotaped a low-flying aircraft without numbers in the area the previous evening.

August 9, 1999 Orkelljunga, Sweden: Five Beagles were stolen from a facility that breeds dogs for research.

August 7, 1999 Escanaba, Michigan: The Earth Liberation Front claimed credit for torching two fishing boats in the driveway of a veterinarian at 3:20 a.m. Neighbors spotted the flames and awoke the doctor. ELF left behind its signature in 18-inch letters on the garage door. Police and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating.

August 3, 1999 Bristol, Wisconsin: Animal rights terrorists released more than 3000 mink from the Krieger Farm before dawn. Neighbors helped the Kriegers retrieve most of the animals. In claiming credit for the raid, ALF said that the Kriegers are "a known supplier of mink fur to Neiman Marcus, the well-known national chain currently under attack by animal activists across the US for its fur sales."

July 10, 1999 USA: Jersey Cuts, a meatpacking facility in Howell, New Jersey has closed. They had been struck twice by the Animal Liberation Front, the second attack being a firebombing that completely destroyed three trucks at a cost of $180,000.

June 25, 1999 USA: The Animal Liberation Front takes responsibility for the firebombing of a truck at Worldwide Primates, Inc. in Miami, Florida, the business of a primate dealer and his family. The action was claimed to be "in support of the 1999 Primate Freedom Tour."

June 10, 1999 England: Animal rights activists chained a 62-year-old woman to a fence and demanded that she and her husband close their farm, Britain's only licensed cattery supplying cats for research. She was terrorized but unhurt; she managed to free herself after a few minutes.

May 9, 1999 USA: ALF claimed responsibility for the Mother's Day arson at Childer's Meat Company in Eugene, Oregon "In honor of Mother Earth and all the cows who have their babies stolen from them to help furnish the meat and dairy industries." Raiders used 20 gallons of diesel fuel/unleaded gasoline mixture in four buckets to ignite the fire that caused $150,000 damage.

April 24, 1999 USA: Animal rights protesters broke into three research labs at the University of California at San Francisco, shattering glass, overturning refrigerators, and destroying medical research.

April 5, 1999 USA: A dozen laboratories at the University of Minnesota were vandalized and dozens of research animals were stolen in a raid by the ALF. Damages estimated at $1,000,000. Research into Alzheimers disease and cancer was destroyed or stolen and cages and equipment were damaged.

March 27, 1999 USA: Six vehicles belonging to Big Apple Circus were destroyed by firebombs in Franklin, New Jersey. ALF claimed credit.

October 22, 1998 Sweden: 5700 mink released from fur farm near Vaenersborg.

October 18, 1998 USA: ELF, Earth Liberation Front, claimed responsibility for $12 million Vail Ski Resort fire.

October 6, 1998 Germany: Fur farm release of 2500 mink ($150,000) near Fladderlohausen.

September 16, 1998 World: the Internet Division of the Animal Liberation Front announced a cyberspace campaign against people who use the internet to conduct animal-related businesses. ALF threatened denial of service attacks, e-mail bombardments, virus attacks, and web server hacking to destroy data.

August 28, 1998 USA: ALF and ELF claimed responsibility for release of 2800 mink in Rochester, Minnesota.

August 27, 1998 USA: Release of 3000 mink at fur farm in Beloit, Wisconsin.

August 20, 1998 USA: Release of 2500 mink at fur farm in Jewell, Iowa.

August 20, 1998 USA: Release of 350 domestically raised foxes in Guttenberg, Iowa.

August 18, 1998 USA: Attack on Pearl Lake, Minnesota fur farm ended with 2500 mink released.

August 9, 1998 UK: 6000 mink released in Hampshire, England; 1000 more released days later. Many died on roads or were killed by fearful residents. Some escape and damage native wildlife population.

July 4, 1998 USA: Middleton, Wisconsin-based United Vaccines Research Facility was attacked with 150 mink and ferrets released. ALF and ELF claimed responsibility.

June, 1998 USA: Arson at US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services facility near Olympia, Washington, destroys $1.5 million research projects and causes $400,000 damage to facility.

May, 1998 USA:Arson at a veal slaughterhouse in Florida caused $500,000 damage.

November 23, 1997 USA: Animal rights group that calls itself the justice department sent letters to media warning of poisoned turkeys in supermarkets in the east.

September 12, 1997 USA: Animal rightists smashed windows and doors with sledgehammer at Boys Town research center and damaged van parked nearby. Boys Town staff received death threats.

August 16, 1997, West Jordan, UT: ALF burned a McDonalds to the ground, causing $400,000 in damages.

July 21, 1997 USA: Cavel West Horse Slaughter Plant was torched in Redmond, Oregon causing $1,000,000 in damage with blaze threatening nearby propane storage tank. Entire water supply of Redmond was used fighting the fire and residents had to give up using city water. ALF claimed responsibility.

June 29, 1997, Crystal City, VA: 200 Animal Rights activists harassed customers and employees at a McDonalds, blocking the restaurant's driveway for two hours. Police in riot gear used pepper spray to disburse the crowd. Eighteen people were arrested on criminal trespass charges, and three face additional charges of vandalism for throwing food.

May 30, 1997 USA: More than 9000 mink were released at Oregon fur farm causing $750,000 damage.

April 19, 1997 USA: Activists smashed windows and sprayed paint walls of soon-to-open family enterprise, Golden Coral Restaurant in Maryland, causing $65,000 in damage.

March 19, 1997 USA: A trapping supply store in Ogden, Utah, was torched with the night watchman inside. He confronted the arsonists and they fled.

March 11, 1997 USA: Five pipe bombs exploded at the Fur Breeders Agricultural Coop in Utah causing nearly $1,000,000 in damage. Bombs were spiked with screws and metal and were ignited using gasoline and a five minute fuse. Federal authorities arrested and convicted Josh Ellerman, a 19-year-old follower of ALF and the Straight Edge movement, which is another offshoot of the animal rights movement.

February 15, 1997, Troy MI: The ALF attacked a McDonalds with a foul-smelling chemical, and spray-painted "McS---, McMurder, McDeath" on the bathroom walls.

January 9, 1997 USA: Outdoor Hunter/Outfitter Shop was firebombed. No group takes credit but federal authorities suspect ALF

January 4, 1997 USA: More than 20 stores and restaurants in Salt Lake City had their windows shot or smashed out. Sabotaged enterprises included McDonalds, Arby's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, a trapping outfitter, a leather shop, milk trucks and others.

Nov 12, 1996 USA: A firebomb was lobbed through window of Bloomington, Minnesota, fur store causing $2,000,000 damage. Firefighters disputed claims by Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) that no lives were put at risk.

October 14, 1996, Eugene, OR: The ELF spray-painted graffiti and glued locks at a McDonalds.

11/10/92 Minneapolis, Minnesota: Swanson Meats* Arson $100,000+

10/24/92 Logan, Utah: Utah State University Break-in/Arson $110,000

2/28/92 Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University East Break-in/Arson $125,000

6/10/91 Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Break-in/Arson Vandalism 75,000

7/1/89 Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Break-in $50,000-70,000

4/2/89 Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Break-in /Arson/ Theft $250,000

1/29/89 Dixon, California: Dixon Livestock Building* Arson/Vandalism $250,000

8/15/88 Loma Linda, California: Loma Linda University: Break-in/Theft $10,000

6/5/88 San Jose, California: Sun Valley Meat Packing Company* Arson/Vandalism $300,000

11/28/87 Santa Clara, California: V. Melani Poultry* Arson/Vandalism $230,000

11/25/87 San Jose, California: Ferrara Meat Company* Arson $420,000

9/1/87 Santa Clara, California: San Jose Valley Veal & Beef Co., Arson $35,000

4/16/87 Davis, California: University of California, Davis Arson/Vandalism $4,500,000

12/6/86 Bethesda, Maryland: SEMA Corporation* and National Institutes of Health, Theft $100,000

11/24/86 Wilton, California: Omega and HMS Turkey Ranches* Theft/Vandalism, 12,000

10/26/86 Eugene, Oregon: University Of Oregon Break-in/Theft $50,000

5/1/86 Gilroy, California: Simonsen Laboratories* Vandalism $165,000

4/20/85 Riverside, California: University of California-Riverside Break-in/Theft $600,000

12/9/84 Duarte, California: City of Hope Research Inst.* and Medical Center, Break-in Theft $400,000-$500,000

5/29/84 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Break-in/Theft $20,000

12/25/83 Torrance, California: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Break-in/Theft $58,000

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