US Congress has new chance to better protect animals with game-changing bill
Responsibility for animals’ welfare rests with us all, including the federal government. Our work spans a range of federal agencies, all of which can do something to support the prevention of animal cruelty and suffering. A whole-of-government approach is consistent with the growth of our . . .
Breaking: New Jersey prohibits cruel confinement of mother pigs and baby cows
After a hard-fought campaign lasting over a decade, New Jersey has passed a law prohibiting the cruel confinement of mother pigs in gestation crates and baby calves in veal crates. Gov. Phil Murphy signed the bill—which the state’s legislature passed earlier this month—on Wednesday, July . . .
Interns today, animal welfare leaders tomorrow
As a parent of a college student seeking her own place in the world, I am more mindful than ever of the value of a professional internship, which offers participants a deep learning experience, meaningful work, a chance to build skills and knowledge, and an . . .
At infamous Indonesian market, decades of animal cruelty are finally over
It was an incredibly moving sight: My Humane Society International colleagues and their local partners marked the end of the dog and cat meat trades at Indonesia’s most infamous market, Tomohon Extreme Market, by rescuing those who would have been the final victims of this . . .
Let’s stop USDA from moving backward on cruelty to horses
Amidst continuing dissatisfaction over its approach to ending the problem of horse soring, a cruel practice that produces an artificial high-stepping gait in show horses, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken a backward step. The agency plans to withdraw a 2017 rule to come . . .
HSI/India helps animals as heavy rains flood New Delhi
With New Delhi flooded by heavy rains just north of the city and the swelling Yamuna River, our Humane Society International/India colleagues are on the ground trying to help animals trapped in the chaos of human evacuation and relief efforts. The affected animals in and around India’s capital city are . . .
As food service corporations commit to plant-based menus, animals win
At every level—at dinner tables, in corporate boardrooms, in the halls of government, in university cafeterias and other institutions—decisions made within and about food have major implications for animal welfare, human health and the environment. And when it comes to animals, it’s about the choices . . .
Belgium to ban import of hunting trophies of endangered species
Whenever I see social media posts by trophy hunters gleefully posing with the animals they’ve killed, I have a feeling of deep loss, for the individual animals slain, for those animals’ families and social networks, and for our planet. And I also feel a deep . . .
Elderly chimp’s story shows the immense progress we’ve made for animals in labs
Samantha was a little over a year old in 1976 when her world changed forever: The tiny chimpanzee was sold to a laboratory in Liberia by a resident of a nearby village. Like many of the other chimps at the lab, her parents had probably . . .
How to be a humane traveler for animals, part 2
Summer can be a fabulous time of the year to explore the natural world, but it can also be high season for people becoming carried away with getting close to wild animals. In part one of this series, we covered why being a humane traveler . . .
Win! Illinois bans unnecessary toxicity tests on dogs and cats
Dogs and cats in Illinois laboratories will be saved from painful and outdated toxicity testing thanks to a first-of-its-kind law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday. Under the new law, it won’t be permissible to use dogs and cats in Illinois laboratories in toxicity . . .
Iceland canceled its 2023 whale hunt. Now it’s time to stop whaling for good.
Update 8/31/23: Today, Iceland’s Food, Agriculture and Fisheries minister announced the devastating decision that the country will allow commercial whaling to resume with new “improvements” to the methods and continued monitoring. However, there are no “improvements” that could ever make whaling humane. In June, we . . .
