Wildlife, In the News /
Federal judge restores critical protections for many gray wolves, ending states’ cruel and irresponsible management
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Wolves across most of the continental United States must have Endangered Species Act protections restored, a federal judge ruled yesterday, effectively prohibiting trophy hunting of the species across most of the country.
Animals in Research, Equines, Farm Animals, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation /
2021 in review: How did your Members of Congress score on animal protection issues?
Accountability is critical to our work. Just as we are accountable to our supporters and the animals we seek to defend, we work to hold elected officials accountable for their track records and their commitment to animal protection legislation.
Today we have published our annual Humane Scorecard to track key votes, co-sponsorships and other actions by federal lawmakers in support of animal protection. We hope you find it a valuable tool, and we’re heartened that many legislators work hard to achieve a high score.
Wildlife, Federal Legislation /
Key wildlife priorities advance in the House
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
It is the dream of a better world for animals that inspires our work, but it is action that will get us there, and that’s what made Friday’s events on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives momentous. All at once, in a single session, in one package—the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 4521)—the House voted to support half a dozen wildlife protection measures. As a result, we’re just steps away from achieving sweeping protections for hundreds of millions of animals worldwide.
Wildlife, Federal Legislation /
Trophy hunters celebrate their kills in Las Vegas despite overwhelming public opposition
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Wildlife, Federal Legislation, In the News /
Tiger King takeaway: It’s time to end big cat breeding and trafficking
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The original “Tiger King” Netflix series was a pandemic phenomenon with a train-wreck fascination for millions of viewers and a whole cast of unsavory characters. But the sideshow weirdness of the personalities involved kept many viewers from focusing on the big cat industry’s epidemic of cruelty.
Animals in Research, Farm Animals, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation, Issue Areas, State Legislation /
Good news to start 2022: These new laws are now in place to protect animals
By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson
We begin our work in 2022 encouraged by the knowledge that a handful of significant animal protection laws at the state level have now taken effect across the country. That makes for a great start to a year in which we hope to extend the reach of our campaigns to help all animals.
Wildlife, Federal Legislation /
How wild animals won against trophy hunters in 2021
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Every year that passes sees hundreds of thousands of wild animals in the U.S. and around the world killed by trophy hunters, whose main motivation is to display whole animals or their body parts for bragging rights. Given all the threats facing wild animals, including habitat loss, environmental devastation and climate change, it is astounding that such a practice still exists today, which is why protecting animals from trophy hunting in the U.S. and around the world is a top priority for us.
Animals in Research, Federal Legislation /
Major progress for animals in laboratories in 2021 signals a more humane future
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The world is moving toward a future dominated by sophisticated methods that use human cells, tissues and organs, 3D printing, robotics, computer models and other technologies to create approaches to testing and research that do not rely on animals. These methods are often faster, less expensive and more effective than the outdated animal experiments currently in use. Despite this, millions of guinea pigs, rabbits, dogs, cats, primates, mice, rats and other animals still suffer in laboratories worldwide.
State Legislation /
2021 Maryland Humane Scorecard - Do your state lawmakers measure up on animal welfare?
For a number of years now, with the primary goal of advancing federal animal protection legislation, the Humane Society Legislative Fund has published the Humane Scorecard to track the relevant votes, co-sponsorships, and other actions of federal lawmakers. It’s popular with our supporters, and it’s become increasingly influential with legislators who know the value of a higher score.
State Legislation /
2021 Illinois Humane Scorecard - Do your state lawmakers measure up on animal welfare?
For a number of years now, with the primary goal of advancing federal animal protection legislation, the Humane Society Legislative Fund has published the Humane Scorecard to track the relevant votes, co-sponsorships, and other actions of federal lawmakers. It’s popular with our supporters, and it’s become increasingly influential with legislators who know the value of a higher score.
Animals in Research, Equines, Farm Animals, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation /
The animal protection agenda we moved in 2021, and how we did it.
On the surface, perhaps, the most important legislative packages approved in the U.S. Congress and signed into law this year—the American Rescue Plan Act (focused on COVID-19 relief) and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—may not have seemed relevant to the mission of animal protection. But the truth is that both contained sweeping gains for us, and this was no accident.
