Archive for December, 2017
China’s ivory trade clampdown, Ringling closure, B.C. grizzly hunt ending among top wildlife victories of 2017
By Monday, China shuts down the latest tranche of its 177 ivory-carving factories and retail outlets. This is a breathtaking outcome, with the government delivering on its pledge to end its domestic ivory trade. China’s leaders, after beginning talks on the issues with their U.S. . . .
HSI deals a blow to poachers, traders by choking off the display and sale of wildlife at massive Indian fair
At the annual Sonepur fair in India, trading in wildlife became something of a global spectacle for people drawn to this sordid and sickening enterprise. Poachers and traffickers would capture animals, including elephant calves from forests in Northeast India, and sell them at a de . . .
A Humane Nation’s top 10 blogs of 2017
In 2017, there were some mean-spirited, aggressive attacks on animal welfare that stirred the conscience and passions of tens of millions of Americans – particularly the readers of A Humane Nation. These maneuvers made so many of us question the wisdom and judgment of some . . .
Federal action for animals mixed in 2017, as additional threats and opportunities loom
The HSUS pursues multi-channel reform efforts, and in 2017 we made extraordinary progress by pushing forward on a hundred fronts – in the federal courts, in protecting wolves, farm animals, and other creatures at risk of suffering or under threat; in legislatures throughout the world . . .
Circus wins, anti-fur policies lead list of top gains for animals in 2017
This was a year of extraordinary gains on a wide set of issues, showing the power and reach of The HSUS, Humane Society International, and our affiliates. But along with it came some terrible setbacks at the federal level – with Congress unwinding federal rules . . .
HSUS stays the course for animals in Puerto Rico with Operation Viva Vieques
Our longstanding work in Puerto Rico was made all the more urgent when Hurricane Maria pummeled the islands and all but eliminated utilities, transportation, and other essential services for weeks and, in some parts, months. Given our work on the ground, and our connections with . . .
Breaking news: British Columbia strengthens ban on trophy hunting of grizzly bears
Today, British Columbia’s New Democratic Party government delivered on its campaign promise and more by announcing a provincial ban on trophy hunting of grizzly bears, even if the hunters involved claim they eat the meat of the animal. The NDP, in cooperation with the Green . . .
Some hints of progress in curbing cruel and wasteful USDA predator-killing program
Our federal government is in the business of killing native carnivores and birds in mindboggling numbers every year, mainly with your tax dollars. It’s an obscure program, euphemistically known as USDA Wildlife Services, and it amasses an annual body count in the millions, including wolves, . . .
Breaking news: Fashion icon Michael Kors goes fur-free
In the latest seismic shift in the industry, leading luxury fashion group Michael Kors (including its Jimmy Choo brand) has joined the fur-free movement by announcing today that it is going 100 percent fur-free. The company will phase out all fur products by the end . . .
Breaking news: U.S. Senate unanimously passes PACT Act to crack down on animal cruelty crimes
[Update (11/25/2019): The PACT Act is signed into law] The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, S. 654, this evening, getting us dramatically closer to the day when the nation has a federal anti-cruelty statute that allows the FBI . . .
Big broiler reforms, anti-confinement policies across the world top 2017 farm animal victories
In 2017, The HSUS continued its campaign to bring about major transformational change in the food and agriculture sector, specifically by rolling out its Nine Billion Lives campaign to take out so much of the pain and misery from the conventional means of raising and . . .
Breaking news: Guilty verdict for New Hampshire breeder who kept Great Danes in deplorable conditions
After an extraordinary intervention by local law enforcement officials and HSUS personnel this summer to shut down a Great Dane commercial breeder operating out of a mansion in a summer resort community in New Hampshire, justice has been rendered. Today, a New Hampshire court convicted . . .
