Archive for September, 2014
Maine Wildlife Officials Abuse Public Trust and Office in Ballot Campaign
What if there were a ballot initiative in Maine to ban the death penalty, and staff from the Maine Department of Corrections joined with private citizens to oppose the measure, spent state resources traveling around the state, starred in TV ads with their uniforms on, . . .
USDA Stumbles in Naming Puppy Mill Defender to Key Animal Welfare Post
In a puzzling and contradictory move, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has appointed an outspoken anti-animal-welfare advocate to a post that will exert influence on enforcement of federal laws related to puppy mills. Julian Prager, an official with two anti-animal-welfare groups and an opponent . . .
Big Gains in Wyoming for Wolves
Wolves are off the hunting and trapping menu in Wyoming, and back on the federal Endangered Species list, thanks to a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson yesterday in lawsuits filed by The HSUS and several major environmental and conservation organizations. This is the second state . . .
Kohl’s Caught Selling Real Fur as ‘Faux’ – Again
Raccoon dog fur is often falsely advertised or mislabeled as faux. Photo: Alamy Once again, The HSUS has identified a major American retailer saying one thing and doing another. Kohl’s department store has been telling customers it has its act together when it comes to . . .
Undercover Investigation Reveals Primate Injuries, Death at Texas Biomed
Today, I announce news of an HSUS investigation into a primate research facility. The investigation occurred last year, and at that time we provided findings to federal authorities. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken action and cited the lab for violations of the Animal Welfare Act . . .
Reopening a Cruel Chapter, at UW-Madison, in Maternal Deprivation Experiments
We have a strong, natural inclination to protect the vulnerable, and that urge swells when it comes to caring for infants and children. So when I was told of a government-funded study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in which infant monkeys would be separated from their . . .
Global Community Tells Japan to Stand Down on Southern Ocean Whaling
The big news on whaling in 2014 was the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declaring Japan’s hunt in the southern hemisphere is at odds with international rules. As a consequence, for the first time in more than 100 years, there was no . . .
Big News: FBI to Start Tracking Animal Cruelty Cases
Cruelty to animals will get its own category in federal crime reports for the first time. I got that word yesterday from John Thompson, my friend at the National Sheriffs’ Association, who told me that Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey has signed off . . .
Little Competition, Lots of Soring at This Year’s Celebration
With so many lawmakers signed on to legislation that would substantially upgrade the federal law against horse soring – the practice of deliberately wounding a horse’s legs and hooves to create the artificial, high-stepping gait known as the “big lick” – we hear from industry leaders . . .
Live Action in Pennsylvania on Live Pigeon Shoots
Today, I was in Harrisburg advocating for the enactment of H.B. 1750, which would ban the eating of dogs and cats and end live pigeon shoots. I was joined by lawmakers from both parties and by representatives of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, Federated Humane . . .
The Many Costs of Cruelty
It was a year ago that The HSUS assisted in the rescue of 367 dogs from a network of dogfighting operations in Alabama, Georgia, and other states in the South. It was a major unraveling of a major dogfighting syndicate, and we’ve been so pleased . . .
Jonas (Minus the) Brothers
For 29 years, Jonas was denied a decent existence. This rhesus macaque was born into the captive wildlife trade here in the United States and was passed around from owner to owner. Instead of swinging from trees in the forests of Asia where rhesus monkeys . . .
