Wildlife/Marine Mammals
Shaking it up for sharks in 2020
We’ve never cared for the cheap, lurid television programming tied to Shark Week, preferring to join with other groups and media outlets in a celebration of this apex species found in all of the world’s oceans and even sometimes in rivers. Sharks are part of . . .
Celebrating lions – and protecting them – across the globe
Today, on World Lion Day, we celebrate lions as an iconic wild cat species, and we recommit to our campaigns to halt their exploitation and destruction in the United States and abroad. We are giving it all we’ve got. In the wild, of course, this . . .
Virtually the best conference ever: registration open for Taking Action for Animals Online 2020
The fundamental purpose of our marquee advocacy training event, Taking Action for Animals Online, occurring on September 19 and 20, is to support greater political and social engagement by those who care about animals. COVID-19 hasn’t changed a thing in that regard, and TAFA 2020 . . .
Utah’s wildlife agency goes trigger happy with cougar killing quota increase
For the better part of a decade, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has proposed annual increases to the number of cougars that trophy hunters can kill in that state, despite widespread public opposition. Now, DWR is looking not merely to increase hunting quotas, . . .
House passes second funding package with welcome news for chimpanzees, right whales and farm animals
The U.S. House has just approved additional help for animals, including right whales, chimpanzees and farm animals, as it continues the process of appropriating funds for federal agencies and departments for FY2021. The provisions that passed the full floor today by a vote of 217 . . .
Industry support for Humane Cosmetics Act grows, with 900 companies supporting an end to animal testing
Momentum for passing a federal law against animal testing for cosmetics continues to grow, with some of the strongest support coming from the industry that makes and markets these products. This week, we reached an important milestone with 300 independent companies now officially endorsing the . . .
Vietnam cracks down on wildlife trade in wake of pandemic
Vietnam’s prime minister has issued a directive that will ban most wildlife imports into the country and crack down on the illegal wildlife trade there. The directive from Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, which will go into effect immediately, comes in response to concerns about . . .
Breaking news: U.S. House approves key animal reforms, including combating wildlife trafficking, preventing cruel hunting practices and enforcing animal cruelty laws
The U.S. House today approved many key animal protection reforms, including measures designed to rein in horse soring, combat wildlife trafficking and help enforce animal cruelty laws, as part of Congress’s annual appropriations process. Members also prohibited the use of federal funds for implementing cruel . . .
Florida black bear cub poaching incident is a reminder of the need to coexist with wildlife
Last month, so many Floridians were shocked when the decaying body of a yearling bear cub, fondly nicknamed Bailey by members of the sprawling community that he sometimes visited, was discovered. This was an unlawful killing on its face, one that violated Florida regulations, but . . .
Victory! Court says San Francisco fur ban will stay
A federal court judge last night threw out a challenge to San Francisco’s ban on the sale of fur, in a historic victory against this unnecessary and immensely cruel commodity. The city’s ban, which passed in 2018, took effect earlier this year and it led . . .
Breaking: HSUS/HSLF report identifies key U.S. policy changes needed to avoid another pandemic
Recently, the United Nations identified some of the top drivers of zoonotic diseases, like COVID-19, that spread from animals to humans. Not surprisingly, the top three factors specified align exactly with issues the Humane Society family of organizations named in May in our own global . . .
Right whales are now ‘critically endangered’—just a step away from extinction
In late June, the body of a dead North Atlantic right whale calf was found floating off the coast of New Jersey—a victim of two boat strikes, according to a preliminary analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While this would have been a . . .
