Author: By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson

USFWS director says federal protections for wolves will be removed by end of year

Animal Rights & Environment, Public Policy (Legal/Legislative), The Humane Society of the United States, Wildlife/Marine Mammals

Aurelia Skipwith told the Associated Press in an interview this week that her agency is “working hard” to lift federal protections for gray wolves across the lower 48 states by the end of this year. Photo by David Osborn/Alamy Stock Photo

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency tasked with protecting American wildlife, is getting closer to allowing trophy hunters and cattle ranchers to open season on the gray wolf, one of our nation’s most iconic—as well as most persecuted—animals. USFWS director Aurelia Skipwith . . . 

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Attorney for USVI speaks out on animal fighting as HSUS plans trainings on Guam and in USVI

Animal Rights & Environment, Public Policy (Legal/Legislative), The Humane Society of the United States

We are pleased with the news that U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert of the U.S. Virgin Islands has reminded Virgin Islanders that animal fighting is now illegal there under federal law. This announcement reflects not simply the connections between animal fighting and other criminal activities, including violent crime and firearms offenses, but the idea that the illegal transport of fighting birds poses a particularly high risk at present because of the coronavirus pandemic. Photo by Heather Severt/The HSUS

We were pleased with today’s news that U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert of the U.S. Virgin Islands has reminded Virgin Islanders that animal fighting is now illegal there under federal law. Shappert’s announcement reflected not simply her strong grasp of the connections between animal fighting . . . 

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Triple Crown season began with the racing industry under a cloud over horse deaths, trainer indictments

Animal Rights & Environment, Public Policy (Legal/Legislative), The Humane Society of the United States

For decades, some trainers have used the absence of clear national medication standards to push horses to their limit with the use of drugs that can be harmful and even deadly for the animals. Photo by FatCamera/iStock.com

The coronavirus pandemic is not the only problem plaguing the horse racing industry as it prepares for the first of the Triple Crown races at Belmont Stakes this Saturday with altered schedules, shorter race times and a TV-only audience. This past year has placed the . . . 

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U.S. will allow cruel trophy hunting practices to kill hibernating bears and wolf pups on Alaska’s federal lands

Animal Rights & Environment, The Humane Society of the United States

The text of the final NPS rule is expected to closely mirror a previously released proposal that would have overturned a 2015 rule prohibiting practices, including killing hibernating mother black bears and their cubs in the den with the aid of artificial lights and shooting wolf and coyote pups and mothers at their dens. Photo by Anton Sorokin/Alamy Stock Photo

The Trump administration has just delivered a one-two punch to Alaska’s wildlife: it has announced that it will release a final National Park Service rule allowing some of the cruelest practices for killing black bears, wolves and other wildlife on national preserve lands in Alaska; . . . 

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HSUS, HSLF and partners urge Congress to end higher killing speeds at slaughterhouses

Animal Rights & Environment, Public Policy (Legal/Legislative), The Humane Society of the United States

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes slower speeds are needed, recommending that facilities reduce their rates of animal processing to allow for critical social distancing measures. Photo by t-lorien/iStock.com

In recent weeks, even as slaughterhouses have emerged as hotspots for the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration has been quietly issuing record numbers of waivers for them to kill animals at higher speeds. Now, a coalition of animal welfare groups, workers groups and consumer organizations . . . 

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Congress should act fast to protect animals in puppy mills, roadside zoos and research labs during coronavirus crisis

Animal Rights & Environment, Public Policy (Legal/Legislative), The Humane Society of the United States, Wildlife/Marine Mammals

With cities and states imposing quarantines and curfews, and businesses shuttering their doors and asking employees to stay home, animals in institutional settings are extremely vulnerable to neglect and/or abandonment. Photo by iStock.com

As the COVID-19 crisis escalates, we are asking Congress to act quickly on an important bill that would ensure that millions of animals held in research laboratories and enterprises like puppy mills and roadside zoos across the country are not forgotten. The Providing Responsible Emergency . . . 

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Missouri moves to close down a serial puppy mill offender

Animal Rights & Environment, Public Policy (Legal/Legislative), The Humane Society of the United States

Debra Ritter of Cornerstone Farms, aka Beginnings Ranch (pictured above), has been in our report for severe problems at her kennel, including injured and underweight dogs, dogs with missing fur and skin lesions, sick puppies and excessive feces and odor. Photo by Missouri Department of Agriculture

A notorious breeder in Missouri who has been featured five times in our annual Horrible Hundred report on problem puppy mills may be closing down her operation, even as the state’s attorney general is moving to take legal action against her for mistreating the dogs . . . 

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BREAKING NEWS: On Congress’s orders, USDA begins restoring inspection reports for puppy mills, roadside zoos and other facilities

Animal Rights & Environment, Public Policy (Legal/Legislative), The Humane Society of the United States

In December 2019, Congress enacted a provision in the FY20 appropriations bill, issuing a clear mandate to the USDA to reinstate full, searchable public access to all AWA and HPA records without redactions. Photo by Roman Samokhin/iStockphoto

Three years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture inexplicably blacked out records of inspections at puppy mills, roadside zoos, facilities that do invasive research on animals, walking horse shows and other operations, leaving those who use—and potentially abuse—animals in their care with little or no . . . 

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Key House committee votes to reverse Trump administration’s harmful changes to Endangered Species Act

Animal Rights & Environment, Public Policy (Legal/Legislative), The Humane Society of the United States, Wildlife/Marine Mammals

The Trump administration’s changes would, among other things, make it easier for federal agencies to ignore the impact of government actions on species listed under the ESA, including African lions, grizzly bears and elephants. Photo by Don Getty

Last year, the Trump administration finalized regulations that gutted the Endangered Species Act, making it harder to grant and maintain federal protections for species that are fighting for survival. Today, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee voted to reverse those dangerous changes by approving the . . . 

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Bill to end animal testing for cosmetics introduced in Congress with support from industry leaders

Animal Rights & Environment, Humane Economy, Humane Society International, Public Policy (Legal/Legislative), The Humane Society of the United States

The United States is one of the world’s largest cosmetics markets and this bill has the potential to spare the lives of thousands of mice, rabbits, rats and guinea pigs. Photo by Niderlander NiDerLander/iStock.com

The movement to end the testing of personal care and beauty products on animals has gained unprecedented momentum in recent years, with three U.S. states, 39 countries, and more than a thousand manufacturers abandoning this outdated and unnecessary practice. Today, Congress took an important step . . . 

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