Group of the Month

Animal abusers in Colorado beware. Boulder-based Rocky Mountain Animal Defense’s (RMAD) approximately 500 members rarely miss an opportunity in the Denver metro area and beyond to tell animals’ side of the story. RMAD’s numerous actions include weekly protests at a Denver fur store, annual protests of the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, and protests at every Ringling Bros. show in Denver. “Protests are just the tip of our outreach iceberg, though,” says Chris Jones, RMAD’s operations and programs coordinator. “The bulk of our work is behind the scenes.”

Accomplishing much of that work is RMAD’s team of volunteers, who create and maintain Web sites including RMAD.org, WildlifeKillers.com, Health.RMAD.org, PrairieDogs.org, and PrairieWatch.org, an innovative interactive database that traces the health of prairie dog colonies. As part of its efforts to protect prairie dogs, one of its major focuses, RMAD oversees the Prairie Dog Coalition and has even sued the state of Colorado for failing to protect animals affected by poisonings.

The group also publishes a free guide to vegetarian living in Colorado as well as brochures about protecting prairie dogs and pigeons and distributes the literature at festivals and events and to businesses. RMAD has distributed 50,000 bilingual spay/neuter doorknob hangers throughout the Denver/Boulder area to encourage residents to sterilize their animal companions.

RMAD responds not only to thousands of animal-related inquiries each year, including those from local and national media outlets, but also directly—with sleeves rolled up—to pleas for help when animals are in jeopardy. They have saved prairie dogs by relocating them on a hot, dry, summer day and once spent weeks in a filthy, half-frozen canal rescuing thousands of turtles, fish, and other aquatic wildlife from a sure death at the hands of development and severe weather.

“Be persistent, be strong, but be kind!” says Chris. “Our anti-fur activists protest every single weekend, despite the glares and unkind words of the fur store staff. But we simply carry on, making that street corner a very uncomfortable place for fur buyers to do their business. Many passersby thank us for being there every week to educate the public about the horrors of the fur trade.” If you live in Colorado, please join RMAD in speaking up for animals.

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