Until a disturbing story came along, I had intended to cover the good news that California's Supreme Court unanimously rejected an argument by Adidas that federal law pre-empts a California ban on products made from kangaroos. What this means is they won't be able to circumvent California's law if the pro-kangaroo leather bill S.B. 880 does not pull through. It is currently anticipated that the legislation will arrive on Gov. Schwarzenegger's desk by September, so animal groups have been asking their supporters to contact him and ask him to reject the bill. If you'd like to do so, call (916) 445-2841, then press 1 for english (2 for spanish), 2 to voice an opinion regarding legislation, 1 to choose S.B. 880, 2 to oppose. After that, you can hang up.
But, really, I'm not feeling the good news today. I'm outraged.
MSNBC.com: Four endangered gorillas found shot dead
Four endangered gorillas were murdered in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park. While most definitions of murder confine their scope to intentionally killing other human beings, the difference between humans and gorillas is insignificant when it comes to being willfully deprived of life. Morally, this is murder, and it continues despite efforts to curb the killings. 3 other gorillas were killed earlier this year.
With just over 700 gorillas surviving, not only does each death end the life of another sentient being, it also pushes the entire mountain gorilla species toward complete collapse:
The four were members of a family group known as Rugendo, and the male served as a leader of that group, which the IGCP feared would now be compromised. "Before the killings the Rugendo group comprised 12 individuals," the IGCP said. "Six are confirmed as safe, but two gorillas, a female and an infant, are missing."We need a new Dian Fossey out there, one with the John McClane skills to stop this madness. We cannot allow this killing to continue.
Labels: animal welfare, dogfighting, endangered species, farm bill, primates, wildlife
