Man sentenced to 10 years for dogfighting

The Miami Herald reports that a Miami-Dade man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for organizing a dogfight that led to the deaths of at least seven dogs. Six other individuals who were arrested at the same time still await trial.

Captive Primate Safety Act passes House

The House of Representatives approved the Captive Primate Safety Act after a recent attack in Connecticut. The L.A. Unleashed Blog reports that the house sponsor of the bill, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D.Ore) stated that the bill would protect communities and ensure welfare of animals:

"The horrific chimpanzee attack in Connecticut last week brought a renewed urgency to this issue and I am pleased with today's long overdue passage of this bill. Primates are wild animals and should not be regularly transported around the United States and integrated into our communities or our households. Today we have taken an important step toward the welfare of humans and animals."

The Senate is expected to take up companion legislation this year. The New York Times ran an excellent editorial entitled Primates Aren't Pets that is worth reading. Read more at the following links:

• House votes to approve Captive Primate Safety Act after chimp attack (L.A. Times).
• Pass the Primate Act (Newsday)
  
• Chimp as Pet or Wild Animal, Congress to decide (MSNBC).
  

Florida stops fish "pedicures"

Here's some good news - CBS reports that the Florida Board of Cosmetology has banned the offering of fish "pedicures" in the state. For those unfamiliar, the practice essentially boils down to filling a small pool full of fish. Customers then stick their feet into the pool and the fish eat dead skin off of their feet. Other states, including New Hampshire, Texas, Washington, and Massachusetts have also banned the practice. The Board cited the inability to disinfect the pool between uses.

Update: Read the Florida Board of Cosmetology's news release here. The Board stated that fish pedicures violate two previously standing rules, one that prohibits animals or pets, excluding animals trained to assist the hearing impaired, visually impaired, or the physically disabled, in salons and another that sets the standards for pedicure sanitation requirements.

I'm sitting in a coffee shop...

and waiting for the Internet to finally be turned on tomorrow at home. More posts soon - there's been a number of exciting developments in Florida Animal Law during the posting hiatus.

Governor Crist proclaims First Annual Week for the Animals, February 7-15, 2009

Florida's First Annual Week for the Animals starts tomorrow and continues through next Sunday. On Tuesday, Governor Crist issued a proclamation recognizing the problem with overpopulation and the joy that companion animals bring.

In addition to Governor Crist's endorsement, a number of non-profits and other animal organizations have joined in supporting the events, including the Animal Law Coalition, which issued this press release applauding the efforts that led up to the governor's proclamation.

Be sure to check out the calendar for events taking place in your part of the state. You can also join the Florida Week for the Animals facebook page here.

Random thoughts & thanks

Last month FAL broke the 100,000 visits mark and had the highest number of visits since we started. Additionally, be sure to take advantage of the new sharing feature that will be available in all new posts. Any ideas on how to improve the blog or leads are welcome and thanks again for your continued interest.

New fishing rules aimed at protecting sea turtles

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has voted to close fishing with long-line gear in the shallow waters off the coast of Florida. The six-month closure follows studies showing that this method of fishing is killing a large number of sea turtles that are protected by the Endangered Species Act. The article quotes Dave Allison, a senior campaign director at the conservation group Oceana as saying that the shutdown by itself will not be enough to prevent certain species from going extinct:

"What we need to do is [pass] a Sea Turtle Protection Act to give sea turtles the same kind of protection that mammals get," Allison said. "There are a lot of other issues, as the fishermen point out. There are problems with nesting beaches, with lights on the beaches, with the armoring of the coast."

Be sure to watch the video linked in the story that shows the release of loggerhead turtles at Sebastian Inlet. Also, you can check out Oceana's campaign to protect turtles at saveseaturtles.org.