Equines, Farm Animals, Wildlife /
USDA’s freeze on protections for horses is part of a more chilling, pervasive problem
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement last week that it will suspend until December 31, 2026, the implementation of regulatory reforms designed to protect horses from soring conceals a bitter truth. In further stalling its enforcement of a final rule to prevent a stone-cold cruelty, the agency has abdicated its responsibility to protect horses under the Horse Protection Act, as directed by Congress. The announcement itself is proof.
Wildlife /
Trophy hunting does not benefit animals, no matter what US Interior Secretary claims
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
For years, successive UK governments, including the current one, have promised to ban trophy hunting imports from certain kinds of imperiled wild animals, such as the severed heads and feet from elephants, lions and rhinos. In recent years, three bills have been introduced to stop British hunters from bringing home trophy souvenirs, two of which came close to becoming law.
Animals in Research, Equines, Wildlife, Federal Legislation /
Here are the wins for animals in just-passed US funding package
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
There’s some good news for animals in the funding packages for the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Department of Justice that passed the Senate last week and were just signed into law.
These wins are the result of animal advocates—both us and our allies—who never wavered in the view that the protection of animals matters, and that it’s something that the American people want. Here are the animal welfare wins in the FY2026 funding packages:
Gray wolves and grizzly bears saved
Animals in Research, In the News /
Breaking: US Environmental Protection Agency recommits to ending tests on mammals by 2035
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Today, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency recommitted to a previously stated goal to end testing on dogs, rats, mice, rabbits and other mammals by 2035. This move has the potential to replace tests on tens of thousands of animals with non-animal methods that are better for both humans and animals.
Farm Animals /
As Big Ag keeps on squealing, Proposition 12 and other animal welfare laws take root
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Farm Animals /
Dietary guidelines corrupted by agribusiness priorities aren’t good for people or animals
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Animals in Research, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation /
Good news to start 2026: These laws are now in place for animals in the U.S.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
As we enter 2026, the speed at which global events unfold can feel overwhelming and the future can feel uncertain. It is also true, though, that good things are happening: Every day, all over the world, people are giving their voices to the voiceless, taking a stand for animals who cannot advocate for themselves. In that sense, every single day marks progress toward the more humane world we are trying to achieve in every country where our teams are active.
Animals in Research /
2025 brought us closer to a world without animal testing and research
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Montessa, a chimpanzee, spent 50 years in a barren laboratory, and for 30 of them, she endured harmful testing procedures. This year, however, her fortune changed. She, along with other chimpanzees from a federally owned facility in New Mexico, finally arrived at Chimp Haven in Louisiana—thanks in large part to our persistent advocacy for their sanctuary retirement.
Pets & Cruelty, Federal Legislation, State Legislation /
Our top 10 wins for dogs against cruel puppy mills this year
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Shocking glimpses into large-scale puppy breeding and selling operations this year only underscored our determination to stop puppy mills and create permanent change for dogs in the U.S. In August, for example, our Animal Rescue Team helped law enforcement with the rescue of over 100 dogs from an American Kennel Club-linked dog breeding operation in Maryland.
Wildlife, Federal Legislation, State Legislation /
How the world became a better place for wild animals in 2025
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Our vision is to create a more humane world in which humans and animals live in harmony and no animal suffers from the actions of people. For wild animals, in our era of intense pressures from climate change and the loss of biodiversity and habitat, this means keeping wild animals wild, defending the ones kept in captivity from further harm, and supporting human communities to prevent conflicts that could cost animals their lives.
Wildlife, Action Alerts, Federal Legislation /
U.S. House votes to remove critical protections for gray wolves
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
What just happened in the U.S. House of Representatives could spell tragedy for gray wolves. Thursday’s vote on H.R. 845, a bill to remove federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states, passed by the smallest of margins, 211-204. Now, this legislation moves to the Senate, where we still have a chance to stop it.
The last thing this nation needs is a pathway to more reckless trophy hunting and recreational trapping seasons that target wolves. But that’s what H.R. 845 is all about.
Pets & Cruelty, Federal Legislation /
Undercover investigator finds ‘forgotten dogs room’ at Long Island puppy mill
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
