By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Two bills reintroduced to the U.S. Congress this week could prevent the protracted suffering of so many horses: One would outlaw the painful soring techniques some trainers still inflict on horses to force them into the “Big Lick,” an exaggerated gait for horse shows, and the other would ban horse slaughter in the U.S. as a matter of federal law and end the export of American horses for slaughter in other countries. You can act now to show your support for ending these cruelties.

Our final 2024 Humane Scorecard is available, with a look at where federal legislators stood on our core priorities for the second session of the 118th Congress. The scorecard tracks animal-friendly actions by lawmakers while creating greater awareness and increasing legislators’ support for our priorities.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

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.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month for a second term, his administration has been issuing dozens of executive orders, some of which can have an impact on animals.

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

With allies and supporters, we have been doing all that we can to keep more sharks swimming safely in oceans all over the world. For years, we advocated for the passage of the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, which President Biden signed into law in December 2022, with strong bipartisan support.

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.