Category: Public Policy (Legal/Legislative)

California leads the charge to protect mountain lions but other states backslide

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

California policymakers have put their best foot forward for mountain lions, but that has not been the case in Utah, Colorado and Washington. Photo by Joe Austin/Alamy Stock Photo

California, which took the pioneering move of banning mountain lion trophy hunting three decades ago, is still standing strong for these iconic animals. This week, California lawmakers passed groundbreaking legislation to ban the use of certain rodenticides that have been held responsible for the illness . . . 

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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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Black Bear Cub

Florida black bear cub poaching incident is a reminder of the need to coexist with wildlife

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

Black bears have historically been at the losing end when they cross paths with humans: they are hit by cars, shot by poachers and trophy hunters, often unfairly killed in the wake of human encounters and specifically targeted if there are conflicts with livestock. Photo by Sarkophoto/iStock.com

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 . . . 

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Victory! Court says San Francisco fur ban will stay

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

Humane Society International has, through two investigations, exposed the extreme horror of fur farms and the lives of the animals who live on them. Photo by Kristo Muurimaa/Oikeutta Elaimille

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 . . . 

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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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Horrible Hundred report leads to closures of problem puppy mills in states, spurs new laws in states, localities

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

Spurred by a local puppy mill’s coverage in our Horrible Hundred report, Will County, Illinois, is now considering new policies to more effectively combat puppy mill cruelty. The report exposed that a puppy mill linked to many complaints and poor conditions (pictured above) is still operating without any penalties because local laws are so minimal.

For the last eight years, we have published the annual Horrible Hundred report listing 100 problem puppy mills in the United States. We do this to raise awareness about and fight a deep-seated problem of irresponsible and greedy commercial dog sellers who mistreat the animals . . . 

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Dutch fur farms are gassing 350,000 mink, mostly pups, following coronavirus outbreak

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

The problem came to light in April, when two fur farm workers in the Netherlands were found to have contracted the coronavirus from mink, which is the only known animal-to-human transmission following the initial outbreak. Photo by Mark Hicken/Alamy Stock Photo

The Netherlands is expected to kill more than 350,000 mink by gassing, in a massive cull following an outbreak of coronavirus on fur farms in the country. It is estimated that most of these—about 300,000—are pups just days or weeks old. The killing of animals . . . 

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Missouri moves to shut down Horrible Hundred puppy mill for keeping dogs in filthy conditions

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

Vigilance by state authorities is more important now than ever before because in recent years the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which licenses about 2,900 puppy mills nationwide, including about 800 in Missouri, has abandoned its responsibility to enforce the Animal Welfare Act. Photo by Michelle Riley/The HSUS

Just days after the release of our annual Horrible Hundred report, Missouri’s attorney general has sued to shut down one of the puppy mills named in it. The owners of Little Bit Ranch in Unionville, Missouri, failed to provide adequate veterinary care for their dogs . . . 

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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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