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SOUTHERN ANIMAL RESCUE ASSOCIATION
—January 2007—
Happy New Year From All Of Us At SARA!
 Dear SARA Friends,
As the new year begins, we want to say thank you for all your generosity and support. 2006 had its challenges, but with your help, we saw it through.
We placed over 150 animals into loving, permanent homes last year and also provided spay/neuter services, food, vaccinations, and housing for needy animals in the community, and sanctuary to animals who otherwise would not have survived; those animals thrown away by society because of aggressive or fearful behavior, old age, illness, blindness, mange, prejudices, and outdated ideas about beauty and adoptability.
It is SARA’s mission to care for any animal regardless of special health needs or temperament.
Your donation dollars enable us to care for the nearly 750 animals living at our sanctuary and the countless others we help through community outreach.
As Aesop once said, "No act of kindness, however small is ever wasted."
Happy New Year!
All my best,
Tracy Frank
Director and founder
SARA is supported entirely through your tax-deductible donations.
Our address is PO Box 813, Seguin, Texas 78156.
Our web site: http://www.sarasanctuary.org
Want our hard copy newsletter? Email your snail mail address.
If you would like to be taken off our mailing list, go to our website.
Welcome Our New Adoption Coordinator
SARA welcomes Charlene Fournace (pictured with one of her best friends at SARA) as our new adoption coordinator. Call (210) 669-8399 or email Charlene for adoption inquiries.
Also, a special thanks to Sarah Bubeck, our volunteer coordinator. Please contact her at srbubeck@yahoo.com if you
or someone you know wants to volunteer with us.
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Volunteer Day at SARA, Feb. 17, 2007 from 10am to 3pm—We Need You!
(will reschedule if raining)
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News & Upcoming Events
Enjoy Unique Art and Music: Jessica Decuir's work, "Viva Leon," is the new series of white line drawings on black board that are inspired by her late great cat, Leon of Hyperbubble
fame. Opening Reception, Thursday February 1st, 6-9pm and Friday February 2nd, 6-9pm at the REM Gallery in San Antonio. More info, 210-224-1227 or remgallery@sbcglobal.net.
An original Hyperbubble soundtrack featuring the Leon song and Leon Catnip Remix will play throughout the receptions. The artist's proceeds from the sale of any
art or CDs at this exhibition will benefit SARA.
Celebrate the Magic of Unconditional Love: Please join us Saturday, February 3, 2007 at the Brauntex Theatre for an amazingly entertaining fundraiser to benefit the 750+ animals at SARA.
Enjoy a night of grand illusions, comedy-magic, and audience participation with Carson Entertainment. Voted the #1
family show in Las Vegas 2 years running. Doors open at 6:00pm -- wine, snacks and other refreshments will be available. Show time 7 to 8:30pm. Tickets
are $18 or $15 for 4 or more. Contact Charlene at 210-669-8399 or The Brauntex Theatre at 830-627-0808 to purchase your tickets TODAY!
Austin Pet Directory- December issue- thanks to the Austin Pet Directory for featuring SARA last month. They’re available at fine Austin businesses.
Artwork from San Antonio, TX artists on SARA's website! These creative animal lovers have been so generous to contribute the sale of their pieces to SARA. Be one of the first to grab a beautiful piece or two and know the animals are benefitting when
you do.
SARA and Paw Match working together. We're proud to be collaborating with Mike McCarthy and
Paw Match of Austin, TX.
This will allow us to get more exposure for our adoptable pets and find them the loving homes they deserve. Can't beat teamwork like this.
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Some Good News:
Nevada Workers Free Locked Up Bull Elk
RENO, Nev. - Thursday December 14, 2006 7:24pm
It's not all checking hunting and fishing licenses. Sometimes the issues are bigger. Like when a Nevada game warden was handed the chore of figuring out how to separate two bull elk who locked horns while sparring and couldn't untangle them. The saga began Nov. 21 when a rancher in Reese River Valley spotted the two elk.
By the following day, the animals were gone and the rancher assumed they had separated.
A week later, according to Nevada Division of Wildlife biologist Tom Donham, the rancher was out looking for some of his cows and saw the elk again.
This time, he called the wildlife department and Donham, game warden Brian Eller and Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist Bryson Code headed out to see what they could do.
When they reached Indian Valley, south of Austin, it was Nov. 29, one week after the elk were first seen.
"When we arrived where the rancher had last seen them, we found them pretty quickly. They were both lying on the ground and one of them was in a very uncomfortable looking position with his head directly above the others head and his nose pointing straight up to the sky," Donham said.
Eller said he wondered if they had survived their ordeal.
"Once we found out they were alive, I was hoping they couldn't move and would stay where they were. That didn't happen. When they ran off, I was hoping that they could not go very far. That didn't happen either," he said.
The elk may have been sparring at the outset, but Donham and Eller say they used teamwork to run for nearly a mile to evade the newcomers. "It looked like they had been doing it all their lives; serious cooperation if I've ever seen it," Donham said.
After two unsuccessful attempts, Donham was able to get a tranquilizer dart into one of the elk. With one down, the other could not run, but was also partially tranquilized in order to separate the two.
Eller and Code helped hold the elk down while Donham used a hand saw to remove part of an antler off one of them.
"As soon as they were apart, the bull that hadn't gotten a full dose jumped to his feet and Bryson, Brian and I quickly gave him all the room he wanted. He went off about 30 yards and lay down for about 10 minutes before finally walking up the hill and over the ridge, none the worse for wear" Donham said.
The other elk was treated with antibiotics and eventually walked off as well after the tranquilizer had worn off.
"If these two bulls had not been discovered, and we never got the call, they more than likely would have both died. Watching the bulls walk away, and knowing that we likely saved them from a slow death was definitely one of those moments that makes this job rewarding."
http://news.wjla.com/news/stories/1206/380067.html
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No More Bullfights for Madrid!
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Friday December 15, 2006
Madrid- Spain's second-biggest city Barcelona will be left without bullfights from 2008 onwards, the daily El Pais reported Friday. The company managing the 93-year-old Monumental bullring will close it over financial losses of more than 24,000 euros (31,500 dollars) per bullfight.
The region of Catalonia is known for its critical attitude towards the "national spectacle" the rest of Spain takes pride in, but the decision to close the bullring was taken by the company without interference from the city council, according to El Pais.
Deputy Mayor Jordi Portabella wants to convert the bullring into an open-air market.
The Barcelona city council adopted a motion expressing its opposition to bullfights in 2004. More than 20 Catalan municipalities have declared themselves "anti-bullfight," often closing their bullrings.
Polls show that over 70 per cent of Catalans back the abolition of the spectacle, said Manuel Cases of the animal rights association Adda, which regards bullfights as torture.
Catalonia's critical attitude towards bullfights has been attributed to its liberal culture. The region seeking increasing autonomy from Spain also tends to distance itself from things seen as typically Spanish.
© 2006 dpa German Press Agency
http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Barcelona_to_be_left_without_bullfi_12152006.html
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Sea Turtles Are Rescued in Texas
AR-News@googlegroups.com
Published: Friday January 19, 2007
At least three dozen sea turtles are getting a little vacation under heat lamps in this spring-break capital after being rescued from an arctic blast that caused the water temperature in an arm of the Gulf of Mexico to plummet 18 degrees in 48 hours. The cold-blooded animals were left comatose by the rapid temperature drop this week in the shallow bay where the young turtles feed. Animal rescuers feared the cold would kill the turtles or make them so sluggish as to be vulnerable to sharks.
Volunteers, students and others scooped them up from the surf, bundled them in blankets and towels and took them to the privately run Sea Turtle Inc. rescue center and a University of Texas marine laboratory.
The juvenile green turtles were scrubbed clean of grime, then put under a heat lamp until their eyes opened and their flippers twitched - signs they were reviving and ready to be put in 66- to 68-degree holding tanks and feed on romaine lettuce.
Green turtles are born off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and spend their early years feeding on turtle grass in shallow bay areas such as South Padre's Laguna Madre. When they are mature - 15 to 20 years old and weighing about 500 pounds - they return to Mexican waters to breed.
But a cold spell that sent the mercury plummeting into the 30s on Monday and Tuesday caused the water temperature to fall into the 50s. The turtles' systems began shutting down, and they started washing ashore.
Robert Banard, a volunteer who found the first turtles with his wife, said the turtles were anywhere from three to 65 pounds and were almost immobile.
Each turtle was named by the volunteer who found it. Laurie, a 15-pounder, had lost a flipper, the result of a predator trying to take advantage of her lethargy.
The last time it got cold enough for turtles to wash up was in December 2004, when the Rio Grande Valley had its first white Christmas in memory. The last such operation before that was the 1980s, Sea Turtle curator Jeff George said.
With another cold front expected, George said the turtles would be there at least a week.
On the Net: http://www.seaturtleinc.com
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On the Home Front:
Check out our website and Petfinder to see our adoptable animals. For instance, adorable lab mix pups for adoption- approximately 10 weeks old, black and chocolate. And
take a look at other cuties below who are up for adoption here at SARA!
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Gomer
6 year-old neutered Australian Shepherd mix, lovable and sweet, gets along well w/ other animals
of all kinds. |
Shiloh
Shiloh is close to a year old, very sweet and healthy female. Spayed (of course). |
Beemer
Fun Dalmatian male mix, about 6 years old, sweet, good-natured and gets along well w/ other dogs.
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Help us help them...donate your old vehicle for a tax-deductible donation. We'll pick it up!
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Wish
List
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Advantix
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Paper towels
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Bottled drinking water
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Dried corn and oats
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Hog feed
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Dry senior-diet dog food
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Dry premium cat food (such as Science Diet or Nutromax)
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Dry puppy food (any brand)
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Chicken scratch
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Working lawn mowers and weed eaters
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Paper towels
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Rakes
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Bush Hog “Trail Hand” utility vehicle
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Two large-capacity Easy Haul utility carts
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Collection Jars: Every penny counts!
Can you place one of these jars in your place of business or do you know a business that can? If so please contact us and we will send you the labels.
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Building Projects that Need Funding
Below are the current building projects that need funding:
- Barn for farm animals
- Hog enclosures with working chute and holding area
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Bequests: Leave a Living Legacy to Help Homeless Animals
Giving to SARA through your will is one of the simplest ways to make a planned gift. Making a bequest is straightforward and easily executed with your attorney. In addition, a bequest to SARA can save your estate a significant sum in tax payments if the estate is subject to federal estate tax. You can name SARA as a beneficiary in your will in a number of simple ways. Contact us for more information.
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What a World, What a World, or What the Hell Is Wrong with People?
Texas Bill: Let Blind Hunters Use Lasers
Monday December 11, 2006 6:21pm
A lawmaker in this firearm-friendly state wants to help more people get the chance to shoot live animals - even if those people can't see. A bill filed for the 2007 legislative session would permit legally blind hunters to use laser sights, or lighted pointing instruments.
"This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great," said Republican Rep. Edmund Kuempel of Seguin, the bill's sponsor.
Visually impaired people are allowed to shoot now with the aid of a sighted person, he said, a requirement that would continue if the sights were legalized.
"I've seen this on TV before, when they're taking target practice," Kuempel said. "When they aim the gun, the guide tells them, aim two inches higher or two inches lower and you're on the target, and you're off and running."
Kuempel's bill would give the state until Jan. 1, 2008, to come up with a definition of legally blind so the law could be enforced.
Under existing law, the use of laser sights, spotlights and headlights is strictly prohibited in all Texas hunting. The practice can have the effect of making animals stand still as the light shines on them. Hunters using sights under the proposed legislation would have to carry proof that they are legally blind.
The Legislature convenes Jan. 9 for its 140-day session.
On the Net:
Texas House of Representatives: http://www.house.state.tx.us
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FYI- Beware of Fake Fur Labels
NEW YORK – An animal rights group Friday accused Macy's of selling a coat with a real animal fur collar even though it was advertised as fake fur.
The Humane Society of the United States said a $237.99 Sean John Hooded Snorkel Jacket for sale on Macy's Web site was described as having an "imitation rabbit fur collar."
But the group said when it purchased the coat, the label read "Made in China" and "genuine raccoon fur." The group said it is testing the fur to see if it is from a raccoon dog, a type of dog raised in China whose fur resembles that of a raccoon.
full story:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20061215-1157-macys-fur-.html
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In Memoriam
SARA suffered a tremendous loss recently when our good friend, Jeff Stahl, passed away after battling a long, difficult illness.
He was a great big man with an even bigger heart. No matter what Jeff was going through, he was always quick with a smile and a desire to
help animals -- human and non-human!
We were also saddened by the loss of Cora Nelle Muller, another friend of animals and to SARA. Cora Nelle and her husband, Leroy,
helped us build our first cattery and always helped a stray animal in need. When you visited their house, the backyard was like a giant buffet for
every squirrel and bird in the neighborhood.
Both of these lovely people helped make this world a little brighter.
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