Chris Cosentino's Incanto in Noe Valley played host to something resembling a foie gras summit meeting on Tuesday. As EaterSF reports, a "who's who" of San Francisco chefs, representatives from local foie gras makers and general goose liver supporters met at Incanto to discuss the impending ban on foie gras in the state of California. Eater has a nice recap of yesterday's meeting, but here are some highlights from the front lines of the foie gras resistance: more ›

Oh, it's on, folks. Taking a stand against the pending 2012 ban on foie gras, Chef Russell Jackson will host a FU Foie Gras Dinner at Lafitte on Sunday, October 16. See, California will ban the sale and production of foie gras in July of 2012. Hawking the plumped up duck liver could result in a $1,000 fine. This dinner is Jackson's response. His menu will feature sustainable foie gras that has been "humanely sourced" and prepared in a variety of forms: cured, stewed, pureed, frozen, sweet and savory. Sample menus is as follows: more ›

King Neptune, the young adult sea lion we checked in with yesterday, was put down by vets at the Marina Mammal Center last night. The poor fella was suffering from a bad case of pneumonia after an infection in his gunshot wounds spread to his chest, forcing his caretakers to take euthanize the innocent marine mammal. more ›

King Neptune, seen here recovering from gunshot wounds at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, is the most recent victim of human-on-pinniped violence in the Bay Area. Mr. Neptune was found last Wednesday at the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf suffering from "large caliber" gunshot wounds. He is the fourth such victim rescued by the MMC in the past year. more ›

A Gilroy man who already has four felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon under his belt may face a 25-years-to-life sentence in the death of his wife's six-week-old chihuahua puppy. Bud Wally Ruiz, during an argument in which his wife was asking him to leave the house, threw the bag in which he'd put the dog (which he'd given to his wife as a Mother's Day gift) against a wall, killing the dog. The dog's name was Teddy. more ›

Yesterday, we brought you the story of choking chicken murders at El Monte Elementary School in Concord, where a custodian discovered the bodies of two strangled chickens. Today, police arrested three teenagers in connection with the foul fowl strangulations. The trio "have been taken into custody for animal cruelty & burglary." [SFGate] more ›

Veterinarians at the Marine Mammal Center in Vallejo and a plastic surgeon who usually works on people are set to perform the first ever reconstructive surgery on a sea lion that was found shot several times in the face. The sea lion was discovered last fall in the Sacramento River, captured, and taken first to the Center in Sausalito where its wounds were flushed and it was fed and given antibiotics. The now 650-pound animal had gone down to 350 pounds but was still trying to tough it out in the wild. They named him Sgt. Nevis, after the Yolo County police officer who helped with the rescue. more ›

Disturbing news, folks. UC Davis police arrested 18-year-old Henry Nguyen of Oakland and 19-year-old Josue Melendez of Los Angeles on Wednesday on suspicion of abusing hamsters, filming said cruelty, and then posting the footage online. The students, according to AP (via CBS 5), "allegedly battered and used a cigarette lighter to torture the hamsters. One of the hamsters died, but the other recovered after being cared for at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital." more ›

Why, here's a shot from this afternoon's PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) protest against McDonald's, over on the 600 block of Van Ness. Not nearly as erotic as we had anticipated, but effective. Yes? No? more ›

Want to see slinky, kinda nude women bathing in a tank of blood-colored water on Van Ness at noon? Of course you do. According to , PETA campaigner Jena Hunt "organized a protest scheduled for noon today at 600 Van Ness Ave., where two PETA 'chicks' in red bikinis will be crammed together in a tank of 'bloody' water with the message 'McDonald’s Scalds Chicks; to Death.'" (Aside: While we do not care much for McDonald's culinary vision, we highly recommend their Crispy ranch BLT sandwich, which you can get grilled or fried. Well worth the 600 calories. Trust us.) In an interview with the Ex, Hunt explains, there "a more humane slaughter method called controlled-atmosphere killing ensures that animals are killed painlessly while still in their transport crates before they have their throats cut or are handled by workers." Good point, Hunt. Also, there's a "McCruelty: I’m Hatin' It" billboard up at Sixth and Brannan today. more ›

Named after the duffel bag in which he was abandoned, "Duffy" was discovered by residents in Burlingame near the Embassy Suites at SFO on April 5. Although he was left there for more than eight hours, the cat is reportedly fine and ready for a loving, caring home. Humane society spokesman Scott Delucchi said, "We're assuming that whoever dumped the cat didn't know animal abandonment is illegal. (Another thing the unidentified animal abuser didn't know: that they will burn for eternity in the lower circles of hell.) If you would like to adopt "Duffy" (and who wouldn't?!) or any other pet who needs a safe home, please contact the Peninsula Humane Society at 650-340-7022. But remember, pets are neither accessories nor home accents. Please use caution before deciding to adopt. UPDATE: Duffy has been adopted. Yay! But, remember, there still plenty more fuzzy faces out there that need homes. more ›

Just after Ross Mirkarimi's pro-life hummus breath suggested a citywide ban on foie gras - you know, in addition to the other one set to go in 2012 -- Gavin Newsom also kowtowed to PETA by temporarily banning the hotly debated dish at all Plumjack restaurants. (Pft.) We say "temporarily" since they want to replace the right way too make the deliciously plumped duck/goose liver with some sort of "humane" way. (You're lucky you boast a superb happy hour, Jack Falstaff; otherwise, we'd be picketing outside your doors wearing this.) more ›

Not learning the lesson Chicago had to after it attempted to / failed at banning (delicious) foie gras, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi told SFGate about a new legislative idea dimly blinking in his noggin. Ahem: more ›

Yes On 2: Sponsored by the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, Prop 2 says it's c"ruel and inhumane to confine animals in cages so small they can’t turn around or stretch their limbs." Why? Because all animals (tasty or otherwise) deserve humane treatment, even animals raised specifically for nourishment. Vote YES on Prop. 2 to save animals from unacceptable abuse. more ›

Speaking of animal cruelty, the third chocolate bunny murder almost brought us to tears. Of laughter, sorrow, or both we're still not sure. more ›

You know who doesn't want to Spare The Air anymore? BART. Disturbed by the uptick in crime as a result of the all-day free rides (on that last Friday of Sparing The Air, the BART police went on twice as many calls as usual), the BART police chief has proposed that they go back to just making BART free during commute hours on extra hot and smoggy days. Matier and Ross had some lurid crimes to report, including a girlfight at the Berkeley stop, and two San Francisco kids who took the BART out to Pleasanton to try breaking into cars in the parking lot. more ›

). The seniors might be barred from graduation and charged with animal cruelty. We feel badly for the chickens and all, but the thought of school administrators with nets chasing down a chicken running down, say, the math hall, does bring a begrudging smile to the face, doesn't it? more ›

A 14-year-old joyriding in a carjacked Chevy lost control of the car and ran into three pedestrians in Oakland. After the accident, the kid and his brother tried to flee the scene but angry bystanders grabbed the driver and started beating him up. His brother managed to get away. Employees of the Delta Queen Classic Car Wash in Campbell are mourning the deaths of ten beloved pet ducks, who were deliberately run over by a joyriding person in a red Acura Integra. The driver not only ran over the ducks but also got out of the car to pick up ducklings and smash them against the side of the car. The cops have a grainy surveillance-camera picture of the license plate and have vowed to press felony animal cruelty charges if they find the perp. The car wash has had ducks since 1972. And hey, remember Calvin Cat, that guy from the Redwood City DMV who was fondling girls who were taking their driving tests? Well, he was sentenced to two years in prison (the maximum). He claimed that he got so nervous sitting in cars that he wasn't driving that it "brought out the evil in him." His M.O.? He'd ask the girls to keep an eye on their right tire while parallel-parking, and when they leaned over, he'd pounce. more ›

With all the positive hubbub about San Francisco's Animal Care and Control officers and its Dog Court (oh, you bet your sweet bippy we're discussing this in We Read the Weeklies tomorrow), it's doubly sad to hear about the allegations of animal cruelty that have been directed across the bay at Oakland's animal shelter. ReShawn McClarty, the acting director of the shelter, has been just placed on administrative leave as allegations concerning the shelter's mistreatments continue to grow. Lori Barnabe, a former Oakland animal control officer who quit in June, recently sent a letter to the city and the Oakland police force, claiming that the shelter routinely euthanizes animals that are scheduled to be picked up by rescue groups or distraught owners, and that animals are routinely euthanized without being given the standard course of sedatives first. Barnabe also claimed to have seen a live dog that had accidentally been closed in a barrel of animal corpses in a freezer, shelter workers altering records after euthanization to make animals appear more vicious, staff leaving kittens in an unattended drop box overnight (causing a kitten to die), and in general, levels of neglect bordering on abuse (like locking a dog in a kennel without exercise for a year). The shelter concedes that a dog was accidentally euthanized last month, but claims that in general the shelter is run quite well overall. The Oakland City Council is holding a town meeting tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in City Hall to discuss these allegations and the appointment of a new shelter director with the public. more ›

Awright! The Chronicle breaks the story that the next season of Animal Planet's Animal Cops will be filming in the great city by the Bay! The show, for those of you without Animal Planet on your cable package, follows ASPCA officers on a variety of animal care and control situations. There's complaints about noise to be handled, animal cruelty cases to be solved, emergency trips to the city vet, colorful anecdotes of clashes with owners, neighbors, and other police officers - it's like NYPD Blue, except with dogs. more ›