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September 21, 2003
Dear Editor,
From time to time I have read that
there is a "catch and release" policy for
the Bahia de Banderas that sports fishermen are supposed
to respect. But the fishing reports that appear weekly
in various local publications always seem to manage
to accompany their accounts of the latest successes
with pictures of the catch lying dead on a pier or strung
up like hanged men. Something fishy about that, it seems
to me.
As a cautionary tale, let me tell
you that my family used to live in a Cornish tourist
town that was advertised as "the shark fishing
capital of England." Wealthy people flocked there
every summer for the fishing and the town basked in
their affluence.
Whenever a shark was caught, a pennant
was run up the mast of the boat. I used to watch the
boats returning and count the number of flags each boat
was displaying. Then of course there was the weighing
ceremony at the dockside. All very jolly, until, after
fifteen years there were no sharks left to catch. The
wealthy tourists stopped coming. They were replaced
by buses full of day-trippers whose major expenditure
was a carry-out serving of fish and chips wrapped in
newspaper. The economy of the town was never the same
again.
May I suggest that the folks who
write about fishing around here do a lot more to encourage
the release of the fish that are caught, rather than
taking their pictures, post mortem.
Sincerely,
Peter Gray
Dear Peter,
Maybe the folks at Master Baiter’s can provide
us with a clearer explanation as to which fish are released
and which are not…
The Ed.
Dear Editor,
I am forwarding this e-mail along
with my answer to its author, hoping you can publish
it in the PV Mirror. Being an advertiser in both the
Mirror and the Tribune, I know how many people read
it and hope to get some help in some way for the horses
in Quimixto and Las Animas! This is a long time problem
and something many tourists comment on!
If a solution can be found it will not only benefit
the horses but also the families who live from the rental
of their horses in these places and the tourists who
go there not to mention the image of the services offered
by people here in P.V. and surrounding areas.
Perhaps we can persuade the operators of the boats who
take tourists to these beaches to advise them not to
ride the horses until the owners can better their condition!
Thank you so much for your help in making life better
for all concerned (horses and humans!)
Best Regards,
Pamela Lamkin de Aguirre
RANCHO EL CHARRO
-----
Hello, my name is Stephanie
and I'm a horse cruelty caseworker for PETA. I was recently
informed about a situation involving abused horses in
Mexico and was told you may be able to help.
Details are: Las Animas, near
Puerto Vallarta in the state of Jalisco -- horses are
free-roaming and used to transport tourists to a scenic
waterfall -- horses are so emaciated and starving, they
are eating their own feces -- conditions are miserable.
Do you have any recommendations
of who I could contact in the area to seek help for
these poor animals? City officials? Animal protection
groups or individuals in the area?
I appreciate any advice you
may have. Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Bell, Farmed Animal Cruelty Caseworker
Research & Investigations Department
PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
email: sbell@peta.org
web site: www.peta.org
----------
Dear Stephanie,
Thank you so much for your e mail
and it is so nice to hear from people like you who do
care about the welfare of horses !
I have lived here in Puerto Vallarta for 35 years and
have owned horses all my life.
I am a U.S. citizen and also have permanent residence
here in Mexico. Originally from Ventura, California
I have found this wonderful place and love it here !
18 years ago I opened a ranch here for horseback tours
for tourists. I was determined not to have my horses
in the deplorable condition that they are found in many
rental stables in the U.S. and Mexico.
My concern for my horses health and well being has paid
off and today my business is still going strong and
has a very good reputation . All my horses are in top
condition and sound and are fed, vaccinated, deparisited
and cared for as well as any horse in the U.S. We also
breed Quarterhorses and have some very nice colts !
I am aware of the situation in Las Animas, Quimixto
and other beaches down the coast where there are so
many poor horses on the edge of starvation! I have taken
trips with a veterinarian friend to offer vaccination
programs and deparasiting and in some case we were able
to provide the service and in others not. Of course
this dose not help the fact that they are not fed properly
or treated well!
This is not something that can be take in hand by our
local authorities as the areas where the horses are
kept are Indian reservations and the municipal laws
do not apply there! Very frustrating and sad.
I think the problem is that there are too many horses
and not enough work for the families to feed the horses
and themselves. In Quimixto there are close to 360 horses
owned by 60 families. This means not all the horses
are rented daily so there is not enough money coming
in to support them! The only answer is for each family
to own less horses so that each family will rent most
of their horses daily! The tourists who ride these horses
arrive to these beaches on the boats that tour the bay
and the crew who recommends them receives a commission
from the owners of the horses further depleting the
amount of money taken in by the owners of the horses!
If you have any suggestions to help this situation it
would be greatly valued and many of us who own ranches
here in Puerto Vallarta would be glad to help!
Apart from the mistreatment of these horses many tourists
never go riding here as they think all the horses in
the area are like the ones they see on these beaches.
I am looking forward to hearing from you and will be
glad to give you more information and hope we can put
an end to this situation which causes these horses to
suffer and also throws a bad light on those of us who
do care for our horses here in Mexico!
Thanks again for your e mail!
Kind Regards,
Pamela Lamkin de Aguirre
Dear Editor,
Which was the final ending of the
feline inhabitants of the islands of Rio Cuale?
Through the intervention of a radio
station from Guadalajara investigating with the Health
Department, I received information that they knew nothing
about the disappearing of the cats. Truth or lie? But
the gardener said they were uniformed people. Who gave
them the uniforms?
There are other guesses: were they
stolen to be sold to pharmaceutical laboratories to
be submitted to vivisection for experiments? Inhuman
people that once more profit from defenseless animals
to do their dirty business.
I do not wish to speculate more.
I only want an answer to this killing, as I declared
in my previous letter, there will be no end to this
search till I will find the author of this crime. I
ask for the help of the citizens of Vallarta, from all
who love animals. If you have any information, please
call me.
Tied all day long, every day, by
a yard of chain and balancing on top of a gate railing,
almost seated in his own feces, with a collar that rubs
his neck, inflicting on him a sore and loss of fur,
thee lives a prisoner - a black monkey.
This situation was disturbing me
a lot for several months. Finally one day a woman sweeping
the sidewalk declared she was the owner of the monkey.
After my persistent questions, and with some sort of
satisfaction, she also admitted having him for 22 years.
22 years in those conditions?
After showing her my activist credentials
for animal rights, she said she had a permit as a refuge
from “Profepa” (federal agency for the protection
of wild fauna), but she did not want to show it. She
turned aggressive.
I promised her I would return and
that the animal had to be returned to his own environment.
I’m asking for assistance from
the Ecological Department for them to investigate this
case and some action to be taken to free this animal.
I do not wish to return and see the same picture of
a suffering animal, hanging on a railing, no grass,
no sun, no tree, no freedom. And I suspect from her
aggressive attitude and the insults she shouted, that
she has no refuge permit.
How do we deal with these obtuse
people if the authorities do not give us any cooperation?
Maria Petrone Morales
222-6117
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