Archive for November, 2014
Making Gains Against the World’s Biggest Spectacle of Animal Sacrifice
With our team on the ground, Humane Society International (HSI) and its partners are making pretty remarkable progress to halt the largest religious sacrifice spectacle in the world — in the mountain nation of Nepal where nearly half a million animals could be hacked to . . .
Brazil Adds Its Might to the Movement to End Gestation Crates
Brazil, the largest pork producer in Latin America, struck a body blow to inhumane sow gestation crates today with two major announcements. First, BRF, Brazil’s largest pork producer, announced that it will eliminate the lifelong confinement of breeding sows in gestation crates on company-owned and . . .
Pets for Life: Keeping Animals in Loving Homes and Out of Shelters
The Hurricane Katrina crisis – 10 years ago, next year – was a wake-up call for our movement on so many levels. One takeaway: most disadvantaged and underserved people with dogs or cats love their animals, but typically they have been unable to afford or access . . .
The HSUS Celebrates a 60-Year Quest to Stop Cruelty to All Animals
It was 60 years ago, on November 22, that four individuals founded The HSUS, with grand ambitions but only a few nickels in their pockets. At the time, there were just 500 or so local humane organizations scattered across 3,100 counties. Like islands, with scant connection . . .
The Intersection of Gestation Crates and Presidential Politics
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie faces a threat to his brand of “straight talk” and “no nonsense” with the full-blown national controversy over his veto last year of a bill to ban gestation crates, and his apparent recent pledge to an Iowa pork producer to . . .
Japan May Defy International Court Ruling on Whaling
I guess it’s no big surprise that Japan has advanced a new proposal to kill whales for commercial purposes in Antarctic waters, again under the guise of “science” and “research.” In late March 2014, the highest court in the world — the International Court of . . .
Poachers and Trophy Hunters Conspiring to Hurt Endangered Rhinos
Shooting a rhino for sport seems about as challenging as shooting a parked bus. The prehistoric-looking beasts are big and not fleet of foot. They confront a threat by charging it, not running away. That doesn’t serve them well as a hunting guide and a . . .
For Christie’s Sake, Ban the Crates
I can understand Chris Christie’s dilemma – either signing an enormously popular bill to ban gestation crates in New Jersey or caving in to the veto demands of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, whose support is coveted by every aspiring Republican presidential candidate who trudges through Iowa. . . .
Lead Ammo Policy Tests the Rhetoric of Hunting Lobby
The trophy hunting lobby in the United States conveniently and selectively invokes “science” in defense of reckless practices. In Maine, in arguing against Question 1 (to ban bear baiting, hounding and trapping), the National Rifle Association, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, and Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine told . . .
Dogfighting Smackdown
Yesterday, we closed an important chapter in a long-running anti-cruelty case when a federal judge in Alabama handed down tough sentences for a number of active participants in a dogfighting network that spanned four states. One defendant, dubbed by U.S. District Judge Keith Watkins as “the . . .
Virginia Pet Stores: Selling Puppies and a Pack of Lies
Our undercover investigations have proven time and time again that most pet stores purchase puppies from puppy mills. But that hasn’t stopped so many pet stores we’ve investigated from trying to deceive customers about the origin of the pups it sells. This year we sent . . .
The Agro-Industrial Complex in the U.S. and Its Drug Dependency
Pigs in a research barn squealed with every step they took, their movements accompanied by intense pain and discomfort. A pork producer opened his transport truck to find 10 to 12 pigs dead after each journey. And in one slaughterhouse, documented by animal behavior expert . . .
