Local sheep advocates protest lack of mammal status for sheep 7 THE CONCISE Oxford Dictionary offers. this “definition of: sheep: any ruminant mammal of the genus Ovis with a. thick woolly coat, especially kept in flocks for its wool, meat, and noted for its timidity. The reference book also defines “sheep this way: a bashful, timid, . or silly person. .; -. convergence of A’ sheepish A ‘SMALL group of protestors gathered racently, ina North Vancouver park, to make their mark by pounding | spoons Into. the snowy srount They were Protesting. & lack of recognition for ‘sheep as mammals By Michael Becker News Reporter sorts, the timid bolstered by the silly,.occurred one wintry day not so long ago on the snowy grounds of a North Vancouver park. A stnall but determined gather- ing of members of the North ‘Vancouver-based Sheep Are: Mammals To9o0' Association (SHAMTA) took 60. spoens in hand and pounded them into the Hunter Douglas nd >, Upto Whistler - 932-6617... ground to draw attention to their claim dictionary definition notwithstanding that - sheep have yet to officially achieve Mammal status. SHAMTA was struck up about a year ago by Jonathan Middleton and Lachlan Mowatt of North Vancouver. The organization has ‘since gathered the support. of woolly Norway, Edmonton and Alberta who are concerned. that’ scientists have separated the sheep from the | NEWS photo Brad bedwidge thinking mammals in. goats. According to Mowatt, SHAM- TA. historian, the Canadian animal rights act has forgotten - sheep. .‘‘For some diabolical reason they had been registered in the -‘miscellaneous animals’ file ‘rather. than the ‘ruminant. animals’ file.in which they truly belong,’’ he maintains. Adds Middleton, been. classed as miscellaneous; they’ve sort of been put in limbo. Basically we’re not satisfied .with this classification and we’re trying to do all we can to stop it.” To push. the case for sheep Middleton fired off a fetter to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney,: challenging him to: “progressive action’’ by joining the cause. -” Blasted .. Middieton, . ‘tit has ‘ come. to ijur immediate ‘attention - that, as of yet, Canada has no act or. charter « protecting . the” fun- damental right of sheep to be mammals... ‘We suspect your: cabinet of : sitting idly by while oters subtish anti-sheep-are-miammals . docu- ‘mentsand badgering the citizens . into such: repression..as they are‘: not willing to speak the truth and’ what’s obviously on their mind.””: «The . recent... North. ‘Vancouve _ Spoon-pounding protest was “followed by a similar. event. at ‘the, Vancouver. Art | Gallery... The’. Spoon. Tour protest will reach the “lawns “of the B.C. legislature : building in Victoria on Jan. 9. ° In the past, SHAMTA members - have protested by. holding The: .Great : Chicken March, : The Bike. 785 BURRARD STREET , (582-0522. land-resicing “Sheep - have’ 20 various , Ride Into The Sea (at: Ambleside), the First) Third . Annual Protest ‘Picnic Marshmallow Roast, and~ synchronized fall-downs. If the caus2 is-not recognized at the spoon level, the group; may’. choose to escalate its actions. Said Mowatt, ‘‘Well, we don’t want to become violent, but we might do something a: little bigger. : We might include veticles.”” . “Sheep need a spokesperson because they : merely’ have. a tendency’ to’ go ‘‘baaa’ because ‘mosi people don’t under- stand that they need some people to come out and pound spoons in-” « “lawns,”? - Middleton ° said, 2067 Australian 'SHAMTA supporter Adrian Blong Joined in the North - Vancouver «action: 441° just. find - ‘their cause interesting. ’: ‘Most: kids °° have drug problems and stuff like that and I found. that it'and: SO!