GENEVA - The result was emphatic: Swiss voters don't think abused animals need to have their own lawyers.

It's a proposal that would never even come near a referendum in other countries, but the measure's defeat Sunday disappointed animal rights advocates, who say Switzerland's elaborate animal welfare laws aren't being enforced.

Opponents of the proposal, including key farmers' groups and the government, had argued that existing laws are sufficient and appointing special lawyers to act on behalf of animals would be unnecessarily expensive for taxpayers.

"The Swiss people have clearly said our animal protection laws are so good we don't need animal lawyers," Jakob Buechler, a lawmaker for the centrist Christian People's Party, told Swiss television SF1.

Official results showed that 70.5 percent of voters cast their ballot against the proposal to extend nationwide a system that has been in place in Zurich since 1992. Some 29.5 percent of voters backed the proposal, with turnout at just over 45 percent.

According to the country's only animal lawyer, Antoine Goetschel, public prosecutors are often unsure about animal rights and shy away from pursuing cases even if there is clear evidence of abuse. He said the cost of Sunday's measure would have been less than 1 Swiss franc ($1) per person a year.

Tiana Angelina Moser, a lawmaker for the Green Liberal Party, said animal rights advocates would look for other ways to make sure laws against animal abuse are properly applied and those who hurt animals receive appropriate punishment.

"It's definitely disappointing, I thought it would have been a closer vote," said Moser. "I don't think it's a 'no' to animal protection, but a 'no' for this particular measure."

Already strict rules
Switzerland tightened its laws two years ago and now has among the strictest rules anywhere when it comes to caring for pets and farm animals.

The country's 160-page animal protection law states exactly how much space owners must give Mongolian gerbils (233 square inches) and what water temperature is required for African clawed frogs (64-72 degrees Fahrenheit).

It stipulates that pigs, budgies, goldfish and other social animals cannot be kept alone. Horses and cows must have regular exercise outside their stalls and dog owners have to take a training course to learn how to properly look after their pets.

Like in other countries, the law also forbids killing animals in a cruel fashion or for fun.

Swiss daily Tribune de Geneve reported earlier this year that a woman who decapitated four chickens and left their heads on the doorstep of her love rival received a 90-day suspended sentence.

Goetschel said he represents about 150-200 animals annually in Zurich, while in other cantons (states), only a handful of cases go to court each year.

Most of his clients are dogs, cows and cats, Goetschel told The Associated Press in a recent interview. Many cases involve the serious abuse of animals, such as deliberate wounding, rape and neglect.

But in one high-profile case last month, Goetschel represented a dead pike after an animal protection group accused the angler who caught it of cruelty for taking 10 minutes to haul the fish in.

The angler was found not guilty.

(JANNETTE PIPPIN) Man's best friend could soon be dining out.

A proposed amendment to state rules regarding the presence of animals at food service establishments would allow for pets in outdoor dining areas under certain provisions: Pets could not pass through indoor areas of the restaurant or establishment or come in contact with employees engaged in the handling of food. And they could not have contact with utensils or other items that may result in contamination of food or food contact surfaces.

If the amendment is adopted, it would be the discretion of restaurant owners whether or not to allow pets on their patios or outdoor dining areas.

The cold weather has put a damper on outdoor dining for the winter, but Beaufort resident Carolyn Morris sees the waterfront community as "dog friendly" and said she would support the amendment.

"I don't see a problem with it," she said.

In Beaufort, where restaurants such as the Dock House and Boardwalk Cafe border the boardwalk along Front Street, it's not unusual to see residents and visitors with their dogs. Morris said it would be nice to be able to sit down at a patio or porch table without having to tie up the pet somewhere else or leave them behind.

She said she owns cats rather than a dog but wouldn't mind dining outside with customers with pets.

Whether residents are for the idea or against it, they are invited to let state officials know how they feel. The N.C. Division of Environmental Health held a public hearing Feb. 16 in Raleigh and is continuing to accept written comments through April 5 on the issue.

Larry Michael, head of the division's Food Protection Branch, said the proposed amendment was developed during efforts to clarify current rules regarding the presence of animals at food service establishments.

Michael said they recognized that ambiguity in the wording of the rules has created some differences in interpretation among counties.

He said that the state's interpretation of current rules has been that pets are prohibited from restaurants, with exceptions such as service animals and patrol dogs accompanying police or security officers.

The proposed changes to the rule include a clarification of wording as well as the amendment regarding pets in outdoor dining areas.

Michael said that under the proposed amendment, pets would still be prohibited inside unless they are a service dog or patrol dog. However, restaurants would have the option to welcome pets to their patio.

Michael said the proposed rule clarifications and amendment will go before the Commission for Public Health at its May meeting. If the rule changes are approved, he said, they could take effect around August.

That would be fine with Andy Hopper, owner of Chefs 105 restaurant on the Morehead City waterfront, which has outdoor dining.

"I have no objections to pets on the patio. If it is passed, it would be a welcome change," he said.

Anyone wishing to submit written comments can do so by mailing them to: Larry Michael; Food Protection Branch head; 1632 Mail Service Center; 2728 Capital Boulevard; Raleigh, NC 27604-1630. Or e-mail them to Larry.Michael@ncdenr.gov.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has posted its most recent membership data on http://www.avma.org/, revealing a number of interesting trends in veterinary medicine and pet care.

For example, new AVMA data shows that veterinarians are increasingly seeking board certification as specialists, a trend that is in direct response to a demand for a higher level of care by pet owners. Statistics from specialty colleges show that there were 9,826 active board-certified diplomates in 2009, a 15.46 percent increase in veterinary specialists from 2006. Even more striking, the number of specialists in the internal medicine specialty went up by more than 11 percent in just one year, from 2008 to 2009.

"The increasing demand for veterinary specialists is something that we've known was happening for some time, but this data helps us understand and track this trend," explains Dr. Larry R. Corry, president of the AVMA. "As the human-animal bond continues to grow, veterinarians are being asked by pet owners to provide increasingly advanced treatments, and this is driving them into specialties like internal medicine, neurology and oncology.

"The AVMA is constantly conducting research and compiling data about our profession and our members as a means of giving us a better understanding of how we can serve their needs," Dr. Corry continues.

The latest data shows that there are now 80,825 members of the AVMA, more than ever before, and that, for the first time in history, there are more female than male veterinarians. The tipping point came in 2009, when, according to AVMA data, female veterinarians (44,802) surpassed the total number of male veterinarians (43,196). In 2008, men had still outnumbered women in the profession.

"About three years ago, based on our ongoing research, we were able to predict that women would soon outnumber men in the veterinary profession," explains Allison Shepherd, AVMA senior manager of marketing research in the Communications Division. "We conduct and collect an enormous amount data that we are continually mining for trends and insights. We understand that our data and other resources are useful and interesting to our members, the media and the general public. As a result, we make these statistics available, free of charge, on our Web site."

For more information on AVMA's latest membership data and to review a compilation of data from recognized veterinary specialty organizations, visit the AVMA Web site at: http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/usvets.asp; http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/membership.asp; and/or http://www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/vetspec.asp. For any other information about veterinary medicine, please visit http://www.avma.org/.

(SCHAUMBURG, Ill.) March 9, 2010—A recent decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to scrap a national animal identification system could seriously hinder U.S. veterinarians' ability to track diseased animals and prevent the spread of those diseases —diseases that could spread to humans and cost U.S. farmers millions of dollars.

That's the message that Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and a former head of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, delivers in a new video which can be viewed on http://www.avmatv.org/, the AVMA Media Library (http://www.avma.org/) and YouTube.  "I have a number of concerns," Dr. DeHaven says in the video.

Last month, the USDA announced that it was going to scrap the eight years of work and $120 million it poured into creation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS).  Instead, the USDA announced it will restart the process and begin developing a new state-based animal identification system.  

"By having an animal ID program in place, we can more quickly contain and eliminate disease.  Doing so not only minimizes the economic impact, but by minimizing the number of animals affected, we reduce animal suffering," Dr. DeHaven says in the video.  "In the case of zoonotic diseases - diseases that can spread from animals to humans - we reduce the potential that the disease will spread to humans."

Dr. DeHaven says that one of the biggest problems with this announcement is that there will be no animal ID system during this new development period, which could take years.  DeHaven is also critical of the USDA announcement that cattle branding—an outdated form of theft deterrent—will be an acceptable form of animal identification in the new system.  "It's hard for me to imagine how this ancient technology will fit into a modern, interstate system to trace animals," DeHaven says in the video.

As opposed to NAIS, which is a national program, the new system will be administered by individual states and tribal nations. Each state and tribal nation will be allowed to use its own system of identification.  

"Will these systems developed by individual states and tribal nations be compatible with each other?" Dr. DeHaven asks in the video. "Will we actually be able to trace animals as they move from state to state with different systems in each state or tribal nation?"

The full video can be viewed at the AVMA's video site, AVMA-TV, at http://www.avmatv.org/, and a downloadable version of the video is available to journalists through the association's media library, http://www.avmamedia.org/.  As with all its Web videos, the AVMA encourages bloggers and journalists to freely post and quote from this video.  AVMA-TV offers a full library of videos about veterinary medicine—from veterinary careers to food safety and brushing your pet's teeth—open for use by the public.  

(NAGASAKI) A sticky-fingered pet shop manager who has been arrested for stealing a Humboldt Penguin from Nagasaki Bio Park was slapped with additional charges from police on Monday after it was discovered that he also stole a squirrel monkey and a capybara.

Police say that Akira Honda, manager of a pet shop in Fukuoka City, told them he was in debt and that he had planned to sell the animals.

Honda is suspected of stealing a capybara (worth 150,000 yen) from Fukuoka's Uninonakamichi Seaside Park on Nov 1 last year and a squirrel monkey (also worth 150,000 yen) from Nagasaki Bio Park on Jan 18.

According to police, after stealing the capybara, he kept it until December, when it died. The squirrel monkey was sold to someone in Yokohama.