Archive for June, 2014
Live Pigeon Shoots: The Shame of Pennsylvania
More than two decades ago, when I first became active in animal protection, I went to protest what was then the nation’s largest pigeon shoot — in Hegins, Pennsylvania. The organizers trapped thousands of live pigeons from cities and other areas where the birds lived . . .
Declining Populations of Elephants and Polar Bears in Sights of Trophy Hunters
Yesterday, CNN published a column from me about the confusing message sent by the U.S. government in taking action to fight the elephant ivory trade but still allowing trophy hunters to bring in ivory tusks from a number of African countries. The good news is, . . .
Rescue, Rehab and Release
The animal care team at our affiliated Fund for Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona, California, last year took in a red-tailed hawk who’d been found at a trolley station. Her wing was heavily damaged, after coming out on the losing end of a collision with . . .
Capitalism With a Conscience – for Animals
All over America, and around the world, corporations are listening to their customers and taking intentional steps to contribute to the new, emerging humane economy, one that lightens the burden of suffering for animals. I recently announced that Cargill, the largest private corporation in the . . .
Time to Tighten Grip on Imports of Constricting Snakes
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is rightly looking to finish up a job it left incomplete over two years ago – examining whether five species of large, non-native constricting snakes, all judged by the U.S. Geological Survey to be an ecological threat, should be listed . . .
Unreasonable Delay, Unthinkable Abuse
The GlobalPost, an award-winning news site that covers international issues, reports that there may be more than 3,000 puppy mills in South Korea that are churning out dogs not only for sale in that country, but also for export to the United States. This, despite . . .
Dogs at Work – but Definitely Not Working Dogs
A year ago, on the blog, I reported that the beagle had landed. It was just about a year ago that my wife and I adopted Lily – middle-aged for a canine – from a local rescue group. We feel like we hit the jackpot, . . .
Horses Need Your Help in Climbing Steep (Capitol) Hill
Dutch, a Tennessee walking horse, was subjected to soring. Photo: The HSUS Thanks to The HSUS and some individuals who care deeply about horses, Dutch is safe today, protected by people looking out for him. But his story is not only a tale of woe, but . . .
Not Standing Idly for Elephants in Peril
Poachers recently killed Satao, one of Kenya’s best known elephants, whose tusks weighed more than 100 pounds each and reached all the way to the ground. A poison arrow felled Satao in Tsavo National Park, and his death was announced last Friday by the Tsavo . . .
Federal Court Ruling on ‘Crush Videos’ Just the Latest to Affirm Value of Animal Protection Legislation
It's still a crime to sell videos showing appalling forms of animal cruelty, after a federal appeals court upheld a federal anti-cruelty law Friday. This is just the latest in a string of federal court decisions, upholding the authority of Congress and the states to take . . .
Poached Poodle or Baked Bichon?
This week, Peter Li, China specialist with Humane Society International (HSI), arrived in Yulin in China’s Guangxi province – a city that is about to host an infamous annual event where thousands of dogs are slaughtered for meat. He found the town uneasy and alert . . .
Coyote Ugly – the Violent Sequel
On a frigid winter day in Michigan, a hunter shoots a coyote three or four times, gravely wounding the animal. Gasping for life, the poor creature lays prone, bleeding in the snow. The hunting ethic calls for an additional shot to put the animal out . . .
