Archive for May, 2013
The Real IRS Subplot
When we took on the major problems threatening millions or even billions of animals – cracking down on puppy mills, fighting intensive confinement on factory farms, confronting the government of Canada and its ghastly seal slaughter, working to eradicate dogfighting and cockfighting, and curbing the . . .
Inspector General, Smithfield Make News on Pig Production
Yesterday’s news that a massive Chinese meat producer, Shuanghai, has agreed to pay $4.7 billion to acquire American pork giant Smithfield Foods was a jarring reminder of the trend toward an increasingly centralized global trade in farm animals. While demand for meat in the U.S. . . .
Going to Bat for People and Their Pets
The HSUS has worked for more than a half century to develop effective strategies for shelters to drive down euthanasia of healthy and treatable dogs and cats. One primary strategy has been to promote spaying and neutering, and the other, to promote adoption. A corollary . . .
They Should Get the Key to the City
Those of us who have shared our homes with a rescued pet know their loyalty runs deep. But deep enough to save someone’s life? Absolutely. This year’s Pets of Valor Award highlights just that – the lifesaving heroics of five former castaways who risked life and . . .
Is Violence in Our World on the Rise or Decline?
In his magisterial work “The Better Angels of Our Nature,” Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker argued that our time is the most peaceful era in human history. Average life expectancy, at least for people in western nations, has broken the 80-year mark. With better nutrition and . . .
Talk Back: Fork in the Road for Michigan Wolves
Hundreds of you wrote me after I asked your opinion about the road ahead in Michigan, where the state legislature is hell bent on allowing trophy hunters and pelt trappers to kill wolves. All but two of you urged The HSUS to pursue a second . . .
Puppy Mill Horror Uncovered in Mississippi
Puppy mills, by definition, come up short on animal welfare, taking moral and practical shortcuts in order to churn out dogs for the pet trade – by confining animals indefinitely, breeding them every heat cycle, and denying them proper veterinary care. But the conditions our rescue . . .
Reading is Fundamental – For Animals
Our mission statement is both clear and compelling: Celebrating animals, confronting cruelty. While the confrontation side of our work gets most of the headlines – through investigations or corporate or public policy campaigns – we never forget that animals do so much to enrich our . . .
Hope for Hens in India
India is known throughout the world as a nation of vegetarians, and vegetarianism is indeed very common there. In recent years, however, this growing economic power, even with its strong, animal-friendly religious and cultural traditions, has seen meat eating on the rise, and the worst . . .
The HSUS: A Leader in Endangered Species Protection
The HSUS is known as an anti-cruelty organization, and many assume that our primary concern is domesticated species. But we also work hard to protect wild animals from a variety of threats, and our work on that front is wide-ranging. Alamy This year marks the . . .
King, Animal Fighting Amendments Approved by House Committee Last Night
Last night, during a marathon round of voting on amendments to its version of the Farm Bill, the House Agriculture Committee approved a destructive and constitutionally questionable amendment, offered by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, that threatens to wipe out important state laws banning the cruelest . . .
We’re There: The HSUS 2012 Annual Report
View our interactive 2012 Annual Report. Today we’re officially releasing The HSUS’ 2012 Annual Report, which pulls together the many strands of work of the world’s largest animal protection organization and bundles them together in a single place. We’re committed to transparency in the communication . . .
