Cynthia_Smoot's Blog

I didn't watch the Kentucky Derby Saturday.  I was riding my own horse at the time, enjoying a beautiful spring evening and the fact that hes sound.... for now!  So I didn't see Big Brown's big  win.... or the heartbreak of watching the Derby's only filly hit the ground after fracturing both her front ankles. I don't think NBC actually showed it, but since then I have seen the video and it's sickening.  It's hard to find good statistics on how many thoroughbreds "break down" on America's race tracks.   When I googled a few things before writing this, I stumbled across an  editorial in the NY Times from nearly two years ago, after Barbaro's injury that eventually cost him his life. It could have been written today  .http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/opinion/nyregionopi
nions/27CImorrison.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Here's what the head of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association wrote this week. He's asking for comments. 

http://www.ntra.com/blog.aspx?blogid=15&year=2008&m
onth=5&day=5

Next Tuesday, April 29th, would have been Barbaro's 4th birthday.  The great racehorse that captured the world's attention was euthanized in January 2007 after a long, painful and expensive fight to save his life.  When Barbaro shattered his right hind leg at the Preakness that previous May, it was a catastrophic injury--one that usually means the horse being put down on the spot.  Barbaro's owners decided to give him a fighting chance... and with the help of modern veterinary medicine and a devoted team of professionals, he almost made it.  In the end, laminitis brought him down--a terribly painful and crippling disease that I learned about the hard way when my own horse came down with it and almost died.  But out of Barbaro's tragedy comes new hope for all horses.  They call themselves "Fans of Barbaro" and they're a grassroots organization  brought together by their admiration for the fallen racehorse.  The big issue for this group is ending the slaughter of American horses for human consumption in Europe and Japan.  Even though Americans overwhelmingly are opposed to horse slaughter, both bills that ban it once and for all are currently stalled in Congress.  On the House side, the chairmen of two committees refuse  to move the the bill to the floor for a vote (where it would be approved by a wide margin).   To override that requires 218 co-sponsors. As of today there are 200.  On the Senate side, Larry Craig (R) of Idaho (remember him?)  has a "hold" on S 311, which also has enough votes to pass if it it would come to a vote. In the meantime, U.S. horses are being shipped to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered by the thousands.   This Saturday "Fans of Barbaro" all over the country will get together to celebrate Barbaro's short life, and more importantly, to advance his legacy of what we all hope will be a better life and more humane death for America's horses.

To find out more about the Bay area Barbaro event and Fans of Barbaro:

http://www.beautysequinerescue.org/

http://www.alexbrownracing.com/

Article on Mexican slaughter done by Texas newspaper.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/mexico/stories
/MYSA093007.01A.horseslaughter.3496288.html>

So the Polk County DA will be prosecuting six teenagers as adults for the beating of a classmate seen around the world.  That's little comfort to parents and reasonable people everywhere who are still struggling with the revelation  that young  girls could be that vicious--punching and beating a 16-year-old to the point of unconciousness, a concussion and hearing and eye damage.  During one of the many, many discussions following the showing of this video, I heard an internet expert say this is increasingly how our young people are seeking fame; that if you search "fights" on You Tube you'll find this incident isn't an isolated one. It was artist Andy Warhol that said way back in 1968, "in the future everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes."   They certainly got that. But perhaps   "15 minutes of shame"  is more like it.

What's taking so long?  That's what alot of us are asking about the painting of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  Last night our Sarasota/Manatee reporter, Ray Collins, did a story  about the big delays.  A project that was started in January of last year, that was supposed to last six months, is now entering its 16th month... and the job isn't even half done.  The DOT spokeswoman told Ray perhaps mid-April, but one of the workers he checked with said 'no way," more like end of the year.   DOT blames weather for all the delays.  Just weather? Really? 

Spring's here and Paul says we'll be warming up to the 80's by the end of the week. But out in the high country of Yellowstone National Park, winter hangs on.  Snow still covers sparse grass and a hard winter has sent the park's bison in search of food at lower elevations.  What most Americans don't know is that every bison that steps foot out of the park is at risk of being felled by a hunter or rounded up and sent off to slaughter.  A quarter of the park's bison have been killed this year and it hasn't stopped yet.  You can read more below. If you get angry (like me!) let your congressional representatives know how you feel.  It's high time Yellowstone's bison pay the ultimate price for doing what Mother Nature tells them to do.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/us/23bison.html?t
h&emc=th

In our 50th state, an island is growing.   Mt. Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii has been  erupting continuously since 1983.  My husband and I were lucky enough to see a lava flow when we recently took a helicopter tour that hovered right over the Pu'u O'o Vent.  What a spectacle!  To see new land being born right before your eyes is a wondrous thing.  Check out the latest on Mt. Kilauea's eruptions at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/images.html<
/p>

Just 30 minutes away, the annual Humpback Whale migration is going on in the waters off Maui.  Every winter, hundreds of whales come to these protected waters to breed, give birth and rest before beginning their arduous journey back to Alaska.  And while they're there, they put on quite a show--leaping (known as breeching),  slapping their fins and tails and minding their calves.  We simply couldn't capture the best of it on camera, but I've posted a couple of px.  And you can find out more at

http://www.pacificwhale.org/

See photos:  http://community.myfoxtampabay.com/photos/ViewAlbum.as
px?aid=31561&un=Cynthia_Smoot

It's official. U.S. Fish and Wildlife just announced it is delisting gray wolves in the Nortern Rockies as of March, turning over management of wolf populations to the states. Delisting would usually be a time to celebrate (the American Eagle, for example), but this time it threatens to decimate a species that beat incredible odds to come back from the brink of extinction.  All three states:  Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have adopted management plans with the intention of reducing some 1500 wolves to fewer than 300.  Of the three, Idaho is the most hostile, with a stated intention of eradicating wolves "by any means neccessary."  Interesting to note that the current Secretary of the Interior (who decides on delisting endangered species)  was the Govenor of Idaho when that statement was made. The hatred of wolves runs deep in the West. Sadly, this is a case of emotion and politics trumping science, and one of nature's most misunderstood predators will pay with their lives.

The video is shocking and disturbing. What the HSUS documented at a California slaughterhouse revealed unspeakable cruelty and led to the largest recall of beef in U.S. history.  The term "downer catttle" means just that--catlle so sick or weak they can't stand or walk on their own.  Because of the obvious health implications,  the USDA temporarily banned "downers" from the food supply in 2004 during a "mad cow" scare. But the policy was never finalized or  uniformly enforced.  If you're disturbed by this, there are things you can do:  buy  meats bearing the "certified humane" label.    It's an organization dedicated to establishing higher welfare standards for all farm animals.  Here's their website:

http://www.certifiedhumane.org/default.html

You can also insist our legislators do more to keep downed animals out of slaughterhouses. Period.  Urge them to pass the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act .  You can go to the HSUS website  (www.hsus.org)   to learn more and contact your representatives.

 

Apparently our viewers and lots of others around the world are as amazed by Genie the 19-year-old greyhound as I am!  We've received hundreds of e-mails since the story aired last week, and so have  Genie's "Mom and Dad," Neena and Tim Derf of Palmetto. Not only is Genie a healthy 19-year-old with all her faculties, she still plays as though she's ten years younger! When you top that off with the fact that she saved Tim's life a few years ago (by rousing Neena in the middle of the night after he fell unconscious), it makes for quite a remarkable dog.  It also gives me hope that my 11-year-old greyhound may stick around for a long, long time!  For those of you who'd like to see "Miss Bandit," I'm adding a photo showing how "smart" she is.

There's  high drama on the high seas going on right now that you likely won't see on the network news.  In the frigid waters at the bottom of the world, two anti-whaling activists somehow managed to board a Japanese harpoon vessel... pretty much bringing everything to a standstill while this all plays out.  It's the latest chapter in an ongoing controversy that shows no sign of ending anytime soon.  Every winter Japan deploys a fleet of whalers under the guise of "scientific research'" to kill whales--1000 is the goal this year. It was only after a storm of international protest that they backed off their original intention to take 50 Humpback whales--a species that was driven nearly to extinction and has been under International Whaling Commission (IWC)  moratorium  since the mid-1960's. It's no secret that the whales killed for "scientific study" end up in Japanese grocery stores.  Interestingly, I've read that very few Japanese still eat whale meat and there's a great deal of anti-whaling sentiment among the (mostly younger)population. While we await word from Antarctica, some of you might want to read more about whales and whaling, so I've added a few links, including a diary being kept for the BBC by a crewman aboard the Greenpeace ship in the area. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7171409.stm

http://seashepherd.org/

http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/

Got a chance last week to catch up again with Jack Hanna, whose new TV show, "Into the Wild," can be seen right here on FOX 13 Sunday mornings at 10. I'm always struck by how "down to earth" he seems despite the fame and fortune that comes with practically being a household name.  I think the reason he's so popular is that he does come across as "everyman," reacting much the way you or I would when confronted with some of the world's most awe-inspiring wild creatures. In describing his new show, Jack said you won't see him "jumping on animals," that he was asked to do a show like that, but refused. I was glad to hear it.  Like Jack, I believe wildlife deserves our protection, sometimes distance, and most importantly our respect.  Enjoy the show.

The debate is over and Judge Michael Mukasey will become our nation's next U.S. Attorney General.  As the controversy over his nomination played out,  the issue of waterboarding became the central focus.  Whether Judge Mukasey considered waterboarding torture, and should our government (meaning the CIA) be able to do it under certain circumstances. I recently became aware of a Navy veteran named Malcolm Nance. He's a counter terrorism specialist who's been to all the world's hot spots and then some. Quite an impressive bio.  And he's been waterboarded...  not by a  foreign enemy, but as part of his military training.  Regardless of where you come down on the subject, his  recent article on the subject is worth a read. And it's not something you'll find in the mainstream media.  Here's the link if you're interested:

http://www.smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2007/10/waterb
oarding-is-torture-perio/

His name is Willoughby.  He's a handsome 8-year-old Thoroughbred gelding with gentle brown eyes. And if it hadn't been for a woman named Hilary Wood and her Front Range Equine Rescue, Willoughby would have ended up on a foreigner's dinner plate. He was one of 80+ horses rescued in 2007 by FRER.  Many of them, like Willoughby, bought off a kill lot--destined for the slaughterhouse. I had the privilege of meeting Hilary in person a couple of weeks ago, and seeing her rescue ranch in Larkspur, Colorado--about halfway between Denver and Colorado Springs. And I got to meet Willoughby (see photos).  What a sweet boy!  Just spending a few minutes with him, I couldn't believe someone could send him off to slaughter. Even though U.S. slaughterhouses have now been shutdown, legislation that would prevent any American horse from being killed for human consumption is languishing in Congress. As a result, thousands of U.S horses are now going to slaughter in Canada and Mexico (where the killing is even more brutal--no "stun gun," they knife the horse in its spine until it drops). Until Congress acts to end this brutality once and for all, horses will suffer.  That's why I'm grateful to Hilary and others like her on the frontlines of equine rescue.  For those of us who love and respect horses, thank you.

To find out more about Front Range Equine Rescue go to www.frontrangeequinerescue.org

Yes, I'm blogging about wolves again.  It's fall and that means the state of Alaska is once again gearing up to start shooting wolves from the sky. Even worse, now the states of Idaho and Wyoming are talking about allowing the "aerial gunning" of wolves. Defenders of Wildlife has declared next week (Oct.14-21) Wolf Awareness Week. You can go to their website, www.defenders.org, and learn more about why wolves aren't  the evil creatures they're made out to be, and how they serve a critical role in their environment. And if you'd like to encourage your legislators to stop the barbaric practice of aerial gunning, urge them to support H.R. 3663, the Protect America's Wildlife (PAW) Act  introduced by Rep. George Murphy.  It would close the loophole in the Federal Hunting Act of 1972  that allows slaughter-by-plane to continue. Nature's predators are there for a reason.

As I write this, there's an APB out in Nevada for a lowlife named Chester Arthur Stiles. He's the man  seen in a videotape raping  a little girl.  She was only 3 to 5 years old at the time.  Las Vegas detectives say the child is now 7 and safely with her mother, who says she knew nothing of this until the tape was turned over to police. Stiles was described as a "friend of the family." Others describe him as a knife-packing  survivalist who has vowed to never be taken alive.  The way I would describe him isn't fit to print.  I just hope he lives up to his vow and spares  everyone, especially that precious little girl, the emotional  and financial expense of  having to prosecute the lowest of the low.