By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

You don’t need to see a cockfight in progress to comprehend the misery, suffering and death that animal fighting causes. All you need to do is look at the breeding operations that service the cockfighting industry—barren, dismal and hopeless places, every one of them—and there are thousands across the country, even though cockfighting is illegal in all 50 states and under federal law.

We have a new name—Humane World Action Fund—and an ambitious agenda, grounded in the mission we’ve pursued for several decades: to deliver positive and permanent policy outcomes for animals. We are as committed as ever to bringing laws into greater alignment with humane values—the values of kindness, compassion and fairness to all creatures. These are values we share with tens of millions of people not simply within the United States but throughout the world.

As we often say, every year is an election year. And every election gives us an opportunity to improve prospects for the lives of millions of animals. Last year, HSLF proudly supported 775 candidates up and down the ballot, and a substantial number of them—736, or 95%—won their races. Now, we’re ready to continue the fight in 2025, and we’re asking you to join us at the ballot box for animals, because with the new year comes a new set of elections for federal, state, and local offices.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

In a pet store’s back room, a tiny brown-and-white Havanese puppy was vomiting and lethargic—and left entirely alone in a pen. On seeing her in that state, our undercover investigator alerted Puppy Heaven’s manager, urging that the dog needed to be seen by a veterinarian. When the staff refused, the investigator alerted law enforcement authorities, who insisted that the store manager take Cindy Lou to a veterinarian.

It was too late.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

In a victory for wolves, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently denied two petitions filed by trophy hunting organizations aimed at removing federal Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in the Western Great Lakes region and reducing or removing protections for wolves in other areas of the lower 48 states.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Inevitably, the passing of an American president offers an opportunity to think not only about an individual’s achievements in office, but to reflect on what those achievements say about our nation, and who we are, and what we can be. In this regard, Jimmy Carter leaves one of the richest legacies of anyone who has ever occupied the White House.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

On Wednesday afternoon, in a move supporting the notion that the species needs more time to recover, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would not prematurely remove Endangered Species Act protections from grizzly bears living in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems—the two largest populations in the continental U.S. Wyoming and Montana had petitioned the agency to delist grizzly bears and turn the management of the animals over to the states.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Every day of every year, we take meaningful action to create a better world for animals. In the U.S., our State Affairs team works across the country to help protect animals in a variety of ways. One of the most important involves partnering with elected officials, law enforcement agencies, individual advocates and other parties to ensure that animal welfare legislation is put into place and then properly enforced.

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