Category: Public Policy (Legal/Legislative)

Key House committee, federal court direct USDA to release crucial animal welfare records

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

It is especially important that the public have access to this information now because the administration itself has all but stopped enforcing the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act, allowing facilities to neglect and mistreat their animals with little to no consequences. Photo by Michelle Riley/The HSUS

The House appropriations committee has just issued a clear directive to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reinstate full public access to animal welfare inspection reports and other records that show how businesses like roadside zoos and puppy mills, and research facilities that do invasive . . . 

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No science behind war on wolves, coyotes

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

Many state wildlife officials have responded to the rise in coyote populations with the same cruel and scientifically unjustified mass killing tactics used to extirpate wolves, including cash bounties, killing contests and unlimited hunting quotas. Photo by Mircea Costina/Alamy Stock Photo

Scientists have long cautioned against the indiscriminate hunting of wolves because of the harmful effects it can have on the natural balance of an ecosystem. But this has not stopped states or the federal government from conducting a war on these beautiful native carnivores. The . . . 

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China takes a step toward joining global cruelty-free cosmetics revolution

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

The norm in China has been a requirement that all companies supply a sample of any new product proposed for sale in the country to a government-approved laboratory, which then performs skin and eye irritation tests in rabbits, and possibly other animal tests, to assess the product’s safety. Photo by NiDerLander/iStockphoto

China has, for a long time, been on the sidelines of the global campaign to end animal testing for cosmetics. Animal tests have, in fact, been a legal requirement for many types of cosmetics made and imported into China, and authorities have traditionally required pre-market . . . 

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In a first for the nation, New York State lawmakers vote to ban cat declawing

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

Several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and Denver, already ban cat declawing except for therapeutic reasons, and so do a majority of Canadian provinces. The practice is also banned in dozens of countries. Photo by Sue Mack/iStockphoto

New York State lawmakers yesterday said a resounding “no” to the declawing of cats. Many well-meaning cat owners over the years have chosen to pay for this surgery, but we now know with certainty that it is the cause of tremendous suffering and behavioral problems . . . 

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Annual Horrible Hundred report identifies problem puppy mills in U.S.; Reveals USDA is failing to crack down on violators

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

Above, dogs at a breeding operation, Cedar Ridge Australians, that appeared in the HSUS’s 2018 and 2019 Horrible Hundred reports. State inspectors have, again and again, found underweight or injured dogs at the operation in the latter half of 2018 and in early 2019, including a dog with bite wounds. Photo by the Missouri Department of Agriculture

Our seventh annual Horrible Hundred report, which we are releasing today, reveals shocking instances of neglect and mistreatment of dogs in puppy mills, including severely underweight dogs and large numbers of puppies dying mysteriously. What it also reveals is that the U.S. Department of Agriculture . . . 

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An American trophy hunter wants to bring home an endangered cheetah he killed in Namibia

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

Cheetahs are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, with just 7,100 animals remaining in the wild. Photo by Alamy

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson The cheetah, an animal capable of top speeds of 75 miles per hour, is racing toward extinction, with just 7,100 animals left in the wild. Recently, in another expression of the callous disregard trophy hunters show for the world’s . . . 

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South Dakota’s grisly predator bounty program has already claimed 15,000 animal lives this spring, and counting

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

The program claims to promote awareness and education while training a new generation in conservation and wildlife management. But instead it is training residents, especially children, to kill needlessly. Photo by RT-Images/iStock.com

In the last month, South Dakota residents have trapped and killed more than 15,000 raccoons, skunks, opossums, foxes and badgers, cut off their tails, and submitted them to the state’s wildlife management agency for a $10-per-tail reward, all as part of South Dakota’s new Nest . . . 

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Proposal offers brighter future for wild horses and burros

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

Three years ago the HSUS and its allies decided enough was enough, and started to work cooperatively with other stakeholders on a simple goal – find a responsible way forward. Photo by Kim Sella/Black Beauty Ranch

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson The Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Program is broken. Since inception of the program, the BLM has removed approximately 270,000 wild horses and burros from our public lands, without any significant use of fertility control tools, . . . 

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Bipartisan voices urge USDA to implement puppy mill reforms

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

The proposed USDA rule would prevent dog dealers and other licensees with terrible animal care violations from obtaining new licenses.
Photo by Michelle Riley/The HSUS

With one month to go before public comment closes on a federal rule that would curb some of the worst practices at puppy mills, some prominent voices are making the case for why the U.S. government needs to finalize this proposal and go even further . . . 

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The people have spoken: No more puppy mill dogs in pet stores

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

To date, 300 local governments of all sizes and demographics across twenty-four states, have enacted policies to halt the sale of puppy mill puppies in retail settings. We hope to continue this trend as more state and local governments consider these ordinances. Photo by Angie Ingram

The pursuit and promotion of humane business models for pet stores carries so much promise in our work, and we’re gaining ground in our campaign to halt the sale of puppy mill puppies in retail settings. To date, 300 local governments—cities, towns and counties—of all . . . 

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