Archive for May, 2015
Ag-Gag Vetoed!
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory today vetoed a dangerous ag-gag bill that would have punished whistleblowers who report abuse at any workplace in the state, including factory farms, nursing homes, and day care centers. “I won’t discourage employees from reporting illegal activities, which is why . . .
Blood Center Has No Heart
EDITOR’S NOTE: GOOD NEWS! The HSUS and the New York Blood Center have announced an agreement to provide long-term sanctuary for the Liberian chimpanzees. READ THE UPDATE » The New York Blood Center has abandoned a colony of 66 chimps in Liberia that its research . . .
Is India Ground Zero for Animal Protection?
One big takeaway from my experience in thinking through the themes I wanted to write about in The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend is our timeless and very tangible human connection to animals. I argued in the book that we have an . . .
Gag Reflex in North Carolina on Ag-Gag
Pressure is mounting on North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory to veto the state’s overreaching and dangerous ag-gag bill. McCrory has until Friday to sign or veto the bill, or not take action and let it automatically become law. The bill, pushed by North Carolina agribusiness groups, is . . .
Humane Puerto Rico: Phase II
In Puerto Rico last year, two elementary school age children beat a puppy to death and severely injured a second helpless creature on the school playground. The incident is a particularly grim reminder that there are big gaps in humane work in Puerto Rico, and . . .
Breaking News: Walmart, Nation’s Biggest Food Seller, Adopts Five Freedom Principles for Farm Animals
This morning, Walmart, one of the world’s biggest companies – and the nation’s biggest food seller by a long shot – announced it has adopted the “five freedoms” principles for farm animals, effectively renouncing the use of extreme confinement and other abusive practices in animal . . .
A Second Federal Court Upholds Key Law to Crack Down on Sales of Dogs from Puppy Mills
More good news from the federal courts – this time on our crusade to crack down on the exploitation of dogs by the puppy mill industry. Today, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed a legal challenge to Cook County’s ordinance that . . .
Sportsmen’s Act, or Poachers’ Act?
If you thought the Senate version of the Sportsmen’s Act – which was the subject of a recent hearing – was awful, the House version that was examined in committee today is even worse. The House version is called the “Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement . . .
Only North Carolina Governor Can Now Stop Ag-Gag Measure
North Carolina has been the stage for the largest number of HSUS deployments with law enforcement to rescue dogs from squalid, overcrowded puppy mills. In the last four years, we’ve conducted 20 puppy mill raids, partnering with dedicated local animal welfare organizations, and reminding citizens and . . .
A New Boxer Rebellion Needed in China
I’m excited to share more good news in the tough fight to rid China of the cruel dog meat trade. This past weekend, Guangdong and Heilongjiang, normally home to two of China’s biggest dog meat markets, and 13 other cities played host instead to massive . . .
Sorting Out the Facts on Soring
One piece of unfinished business from the 2013-14 Congress is federal legislation to crack down on the barbaric and sickening practice of “soring” of Tennessee Walking Horses; the House and Senate took no final action on this bill last year even though a supermajority of . . .
Avian Influenza Just One Marker of Sickness in Industrial Agriculture
Government officials and farmers are engaging in the grim task of mass executing domesticated fowl in the Midwest, as a result of the tragic outbreak of avian influenza that has savaged agricultural operations, mainly industrial turkey and laying hen operations in Minnesota and Iowa. They’ve killed . . .
