Government Concerned by Animal-Rights Activists

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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

Here in Los Angeles, authorities are worried that a battle to save animals will wind up taking some human lives. The FBI points to what it calls escalating threats from radical animal rights activists. The targets range from scientists who experiment on primates to the people in charge of the city's animal shelters.

Here's NPR's Carrie Khan.

CARRIE KHAN reporting:

David Diliberto heads L.A.'s Animal Services Field Operations. That's not normally a high-profile job, but for the past two years he's been the target of animal rights activists. They show up at his home, pass out flyers to his neighbors and blame him for the tens of thousands of animals the city's shelters euthanize each year.

Sitting in his downtown office, sporting a tie covered with puppies, Diliberto says he and his staff sometimes feel under siege.

Mr. DAVID DILIBERTO (Head of Los Angeles Animal Services Field Operations): People are always worried, you know, who's going to be targeted next? Whose house are they going to show up at next? Whose family are they going to threaten next? Yeah. That goes through every employee from the bottom to the top.

KHAN: In fact, two former heads of the animal services have already left the department.

(Soundbite of dogs barking)

Mr. DILIBERTO: Hi, sweetheart. Hi.

(Soundbite of dog barking)

KHAN: Diliberto oversees L.A.'s six animal shelters and frequently drops in for visits.

You got a lot of pit bulls.

Mr. DILIBERTO: Cocker spaniel right there.

KHAN: Diliberto says the crowded south Los Angeles shelter loaded with aggressive and unadoptable pit bulls highlights the city's problems. Most of these dogs will be euthanized. He says activists should help educate the public about spaying and neutering instead of terrorizing officials.

Mr. DILIBERTO: It's going to keep happening. I already know that.

KHAN: And you don't want to stop doing what you're doing?

Mr. DILIBERTO: Because I'm saving animal's lives every day.

KHAN: Not all of the activists' targets have that tenacity. Earlier this month, a UCLA scientist gave up his research on primates after repeated threats from animal activists. He sent them an e-mail that read you won. That was cause for celebration for Jerry Vlasak, a local physician and a spokesman for the North American Animal Rights Press Office.

Vlasak says big protests against institutions haven't worked, so he prefers targeting the individuals that he says are torturing animals.

Dr. JERRY VLASAK (Physician; Spokesman, North American Animal Rights Press Office): You can tell his neighbors that he does it. You can let other people know if he does it. You can make him feel bad about it, if no other reason than there is people standing on his front porch on Sunday morning protesting and telling other people what he does.

KHAN: Vlasak insists his actions are limited to peaceful protests. However, he does highlight the actions of more militant groups on his Web site. He says the tactics are justified.

Dr. VLASAK: Isn't torturing non-human primates to death year after year after year by the dozens, by the hundreds - isn't that going too far?

KHAN: Local FBI officials say it's activists who've gone too far. This summer, a crude homemade bomb was left on the front porch or a woman's Bel Air home. Authorities say the activists were targeting a UCLA primate researcher, but mistakenly left the bomb at the house of an elderly neighbor.

Agent Louis Caprino says radical animal activists and their environmentalist counterparts are the top domestic terrorist priority.

Mr. LOUIS CAPRINO (FBI Agent): They are known for violent rhetoric and very violent tactics that could one day lead to a serious loss of lives.

KHAN: The FBI recently upped the reward in the bombing case to $30,000. An L.A. City attorney has been aggressively enforcing new laws against targeted protests. Activists say the stepped up response is an effort to trample their First Amendment rights. But it's also a clear sign that they're having an impact.

Carrie Khan, NPR News, Los Angeles.

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