WASHINGTON (July 27, 2017)—Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that would increase funding for the Veterans Affairs’ Adaptive Sports Grant Program for equine-assisted therapy. The amendment increases funding by $5 million for fiscal year 2018.

The funding will enable an expansion of services that use equine-assisted therapy to help veterans receive mental health care treatment.

The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund applaud the House passage of Amendment #47 of H.R. 3219, the Make America Secure Appropriations Act, 2018. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., introduced the amendment.

"We applaud Rep. Barr for his commitment to helping secure funds that will help equines and veterans," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS and executive vice president of HSLF. "There have been a series of legislative and regulatory attacks on horses this year, and we hope that is the first in a series of positive actions to turn that around and honor the bond between people and equines.”

Media contact:

Thaisi Da Silva: 202-578-6767, tdasilva@humanesociety.org

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We're there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- on the Web at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to the blog, A Humane Nation. Join The HSUS on Facebook. Follow The HSUS on Twitter. See our work for animals on your Apple or Android device by searching for our “Humane TV” app.

WASHINGTON (July 26, 2017)—The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund applaud the House passage of the PUPPERS (Preventing Unkind and Painful Procedures and Experiments on Respected Species) amendment, which was sponsored by Reps. Dave Brat, R-Va., Dina Titus, D-Nev., Ted Poe, R-Texas, Ro Khanna, D-Calif., Brian Mast, R-Fla., and Ted Lieu, D-Calif. The amendment is based on the PUPPERS Act, a bill recently introduced in the House to permanently end the most painful and distressful dog experiments at VA facilities.

The work of White Coat Waste Project shed light on taxpayer dollars being used to subject dogs to harmful research and unveiled violations of the Animal Welfare Act at a VA hospital in Virginia.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS and executive vice president of HSLF, applauded the passage of the amendment and said, "This decision is a win for the dogs within VA facilities as well the future of research. Instead of wasting tax dollars, the VA should invest in the use and continued development of alternatives that are faster, less expensive, more humane, and more relevant to human health than animal studies. We can do better for our Veterans."

Media contact:

Thaisi Da Silva: 202-578-6767, tdasilva@humanesociety.org

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We're there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- on the Web at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to the blog, A Humane Nation. Join The HSUS on Facebook. Follow The HSUS on Twitter. See our work for animals on your Apple or Android device by searching for our “Humane TV” app.

S. 1514 puts wolves, eagles, and other migratory birds at risk, while giving a sweetheart deal to polar bear trophy hunters

WASHINGTON (July 26, 2017)—The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed the misnamed "Hunting Heritage and Environmental Legacy Preservation (HELP) for Wildlife Act," S. 1514, which strips wolves of their federal protections in three states under the Endangered Species Act, subverting the judicial process and all but guaranteeing that hundreds of wolves are subjected to baiting, hound hunting, and cruel trapping practices. The bill contains other harmful provisions for wildlife, such as preventing limits on toxic lead in aquatic environments, and allowing 41 wealthy trophy hunters to import sport-hunted trophies of polar bears shot in the Arctic even though polar bears are a threatened species.

In response to the EPW vote, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States and executive vice president of Humane Society Legislative Fund said:

"This bill contains numerous provisions that will cause immense suffering to wild animals, and those elements should not be enacted into law. Congress should not cherry-pick wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species. Congress shouldn’t come to the aid of trophy hunters who shot rare polar bears in Canada and couldn’t otherwise legally import them into the U.S. And Congress shouldn’t put bald eagles and other migratory birds at risk by weakening anti-baiting rules or barring federal agencies from regulating lead in fishing tackle, especially when alternatives exist."

A few of the harmful provisions included in S. 1514 are as follows:

Wolves

S. 1514 removes Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in three Great Lakes states (and also Wyoming, even though Wyoming already has management authority over wolves). This proposal would both subvert judicial processes and undermine the ESA, one of our nation’s bedrock environmental laws. Removing federal protections and turning wolf management over to the states has led to politically-motivated, fear-based killing programs on wolves. In a three year period, trophy hunters and trappers killed more than 1,500 wolves in the Great Lakes states alone, and that killing spree stopped because of a successful legal action led by The HSUS. States have authorized the use of strangling cable neck snares; cruel steel-jawed, leg-hold traps; and hounding with packs of radio-collared trailing hounds. It is clear that federal oversight is necessary to provide adequate protections for gray wolves as required by the ESA. The committee narrowly rejected an amendment by Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., to remove this anti-wolf provision by a party-line vote of 11 to 10.

Lead

S. 1514 also prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from limiting toxic chemicals, such as lead in fishing equipment. Millions of pounds of lead fishing tackle are lost in aquatic environments each year, putting water and wading birds such as loons, whooping cranes, gulls, swans, geese, egrets, and herons at risk of lead poisoning. There are alternative metals that can be used in hunting and fishing, and no need to cause the poisoning of millions of animals as a collateral effect of these recreational practices.

Polar Bears

An amendment to the bill, offered by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, would roll back the Marine Mammal Protection Act and provide a sweetheart deal to help 41 wealthy polar bear trophy hunters import the heads of rare polar bears they shot in Canada. The animals were not shot for their meat, but just for trophies and bragging rights. It’s the latest in a series of these import allowances for polar bear hunters, and it encourages trophy hunters to kill rare species around the world and then wait for a congressional waiver to bring back their trophies.

Migratory Birds

S. 1514 amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by sweepingly excluding vast areas of land from the definition of "baited area." If an area is not a "baited area," then the prohibition against killing migratory birds does not apply. Already, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issues permits to agricultural interests on a regular basis to kill birds to reduce crop damage which makes this provision unnecessary .

Media contact:

Anna West: 301-258-1518, awest@humanesociety.org

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We're there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- on the Web at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to the blog, A Humane Nation. Join The HSUS on Facebook. Follow The HSUS on Twitter. See our work for animals on your Apple or Android device by searching for our “Humane TV” app.

Chairman Frelinghuysen and key appropriators target wild horses for mass destruction

WASHINGTON (July 19, 2017)—Marking a reversal in policy and exaggerating the impact of wild horses on our federal lands in the West, a few western lawmakers succeeded in getting the House Appropriations Committee to accept an amendment that could allow the destruction of America’s wild horses. The committee adopted an amendment offered by U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, whose effort weakens long-accepted bipartisan provisions that prevented the killing of healthy wild horses and burros.

This amendment countermands the language that has lived in the Interior spending bill for years to safeguard wild horses and to require humane management on and off the range.

"Last week, the House Appropriations Committee voted to use taxpayer dollars to open horse slaughter plants in the U.S.," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States and executive vice president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. "This week, they’re on a tear to kill wild horses. Let’s hope the full House and the Senate remind them of Americans’ special relationship with horses as well as our ability to manage wild horses in humane, cost-effective ways."

For the past 20 years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has relied on rounding up and removing horses from the range as the agency’s primary population management strategy. The National Academy of Sciences reported in 2013 that such removals cause an increase in population growth rates in the remaining horses on the range due to decreased competition for forage, and instead recommended that BLM increase its emphasis on fertility control.

The BLM has consistently failed to implement fertility control, despite pleas from the horse protection community. Last year, the agency treated less than 1 percent of the horses on the range with immunocontraception. HSUS has invested millions in the development and application of fertility control vaccines for wild horses.

The Stewart amendment would lift the long-term prohibition on the destruction of healthy wild horses and burros, creating a pathway for mass killing of animals currently in holding facilities and on the range.

Media contact:

Thaisi Da Silva, 202-578-6767, tdasilva@humanesociety.org

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We're there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- on the Web at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to the blog, A Humane Nation. Join The HSUS on Facebook. Follow The HSUS on Twitter. See our work for animals on your Apple or Android device by searching for our “Humane TV” app.

HSLF opposes former fur industry spokesperson Karen Handel

WASHINGTON (June 1, 2017)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund, the nation's leading political advocacy organization for animals, endorsed Jon Ossoff over rival Karen Handel in the June 20 special election for Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District.

"Voters who care about the welfare of animals should support Jon Ossoff for Congress on June 20th," said Sara Amundson, senior vice president and executive director of HSLF. "Jon Ossoff will actively support common sense policies for animal welfare, including banning horse slaughter for human consumption and strengthening our federal anti-cruelty laws."

Ossoff has supported HSLF on a wide range of animal protection issues, while Handel has neglected even to respond to our inquiries about her positions on animal welfare. Prior to her role as Georgia Secretary of State, Handel served as the official spokesperson for the fur lobbying industry, the Fur Information Council of America.

The fur industry has been a prime defender of the use of steel-jawed leghold traps. These devices, outlawed in more than 80 nations, act like landmines for wildlife, painfully catching bobcats, beavers, and other targeted species but also indiscriminately killing non-target species, including endangered animals and pets. Some studies report that there are two non-target species caught for every target species. Every animal welfare group considers these traps egregious and inhumane.

Natural fiber and synthetic garments indistinguishable from animal fur have made the fur industry obsolete. Many leading fashion companies have embraced no-fur policies, including Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, and VF Corporation, the parent company of The North Face, Timberland, and Nautica.

In addition to expressing concerns about Handel’s lack of commitment to animal welfare, HSLF has proudly endorsed Jon Ossoff because of his support for a wide range of humane policies, such as:

• the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act, which would help victims of domestic violence and their pets escape abusive situations;
• the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, which would prohibit soring or burning Tennessee Walking Horses’ legs and hooves with sharp objects or chemicals;
• the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, which would prohibit malicious forms of cruelty including burning, crushing, drowning, suffocating, and impaling animals;
• cutting wasteful taxpayer-funded government programs that are harmful to animals, such as federal subsidies that trap and poison predators;
• protecting farm animals from the most extreme acts of cruelty;
• improving wildlife conservation and habitat protection programs; and
• developing alternatives to animal testing.

Media Contact: Anna West, (240) 751-2669, awest@hslf.org

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HSLF is a nonpartisan organization that evaluates candidates based only on a single criterion: where they stand on animal welfare. HSLF does not judge candidates based on party affiliation or any other issue.

The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

Paid for by Humane Society Legislative Fund and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. HSLF, 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 455, Washington, DC 20037.

WASHINGTON (May 18, 2017)—The Humane Society Legislative Fund and The Humane Society of the United States applaud the passage of S.793, the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2017, by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee this morning. S.793 would prohibit the import, export, sale, and trade of shark fins. The HSUS and HSLF urge the Majority Leader to schedule the measure for Senate floor action soon.

Shark finning is a cruel and wasteful practice where fins are sliced from often still-living sharks who may then be tossed back into the ocean to die slowly. Shark finning is prohibited in U.S. waters. But there are no prohibitions on the sale of shark fins imported from other places such as China, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.

Sara Amundson, senior vice president and executive director of HSLF, said: "As a nation, we ban the sale of ivory and rhino horn, and we should do the same with shark fins. An extraordinary number of animals are killed for a single body part, and that’s cruel, wasteful, and shameful."

The HSUS and HSLF expressed their thanks to the bipartisan sponsors of the bill, Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., John McCain, R-Ariz., Gary Peters, D-Mich., James Inhofe, R-Okla., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

A companion House bill, H.R. 1456, introduced by Reps. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, D-Northern Mariana Islands, has nearly 100 cosponsors.

Media contact:

Stephanie Twining, 301-258-1491, stwining@humanesociety.org

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We're there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- on the Web at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to the blog, A Humane Nation. Join The HSUS on Facebook. Follow The HSUS on Twitter. See our work for animals on your Apple or Android device by searching for our “Humane TV” app.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund applauds mandate to protect wild horses, even if transferred out of BLM’s care

WASHINGTON (May 4, 2017)—The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund are pleased that the 2017 omnibus spending bill includes provisions directing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to protect our nation’s wild horses and burros. The bill prevents the BLM and its contractors from sending wild horses to be slaughtered for human consumption. It further directs the BLM to review all serious proposals from non-governmental organizations and create a plan, within 180 days of enactment of the bill, to maintain long-term, sustainable populations on the range in a humane manner.

The spending bill would also allow the BLM to more easily transfer wild horses to federal, state or local governments to serve as work horses, while qualifying that transferred horses are not to be slaughtered for commercial purposes (by the adopting agency or any third party thereafter), or euthanized without veterinary recommendation, and only then in cases of severe illness, injury or advanced age.

Gillian Lyons, senior wildlife fertility control policy manager for The HSUS, said: "Congress is giving direction to federal land managers to protect wild horses, allowing some controlled adoptions of horses to third parties. But the Congress was explicit that this adoption process won’t be the first step toward transferring these horses to kill buyers and others who might slaughter or otherwise exploit them. The BLM, if it allows for adoptions, must create and enforce mechanisms to assure the long-term care for these horses."

The Humane Society of the United States closely tracks BLM wild horse and burro management actions, and is an advocate of fertility control as a humane, on-range management strategy, and an alternative to costly gathers and adoptions or long-term holding."

Media contact:

Stephanie Twining, 301-258-1491, stwining@humanesociety.org

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We're there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- on the Web at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to the blog, A Humane Nation. Join The HSUS on Facebook. Follow The HSUS on Twitter. See our work for animals on your Apple or Android device by searching for our “Humane TV” app.

WASHINGTON (April 11, 2017)—Cruelty-free beauty company Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics is re-launching its global best-selling New Shampoo Bar to encourage consumers to get behind The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Legislative Fund, and Humane Society International’s global campaign to ban cosmetic animal testing and trade by signing their petition at www.endanimaltesting.org. The revamped bar is now adorned with the charity’s #BeCrueltyFree message in both English and simplified Chinese, the two most commonly used languages on social media, and will roll out in the United States from April 11th.

More than one million people worldwide have signed #BeCrueltyFree petitions calling on their governments to ban cruel cosmetics. In conjunction with intensive political lobbying and public campaigning by HSI and others, this pressure has so far driven 38 countries or regions around the world to pass animal testing or sales bans in their cosmetics laws—including the European Union, Israel, India, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, and most recently Guatemala.

In the U.S., The HSUS and HSLF are spearheading efforts to pass legislation that will prohibit cosmetic animal testing and phase out the sale of animal-tested cosmetics. In addition to LUSH, more than 190 companies in the cosmetic industry have lent their support to end cosmetic cruelty in the U.S. Consumers can show their support for this important legislation by signing The HSUS e-petition and calling their federal legislators to urge support for legislation to prohibit cosmetic animal testing in the United States.

Vicki Katrinak of #BeCrueltyFree USA, comments: "#BeCrueltyFree USA is excited to collaborate with Lush on our efforts to end cosmetics cruelty around the world once and for all. More than 1.8 billion consumers now live in cruelty-free cosmetics markets and it is time for the US to join this global movement away from animal testing. We’re proud to have Lush’s support of our #BeCrueltyFree campaign."

Hilary Jones, Lush ethics director, comments: "The horror of cosmetics testing will not be over for animals until the whole world switches to more modern non-animal safety testing methods. Only when this ugly practice is over will our industry truly be the Beauty business. Until that day we all need to keep spreading the message, so it is an honour to be able to help the #BeCrueltyFree campaign."

New Shampoo Bar is a solid bar with cinnamon, clove and peppermint to stimulate the scalp. According to Lush, cinnamon leaf, bay and clove bud essential oils combine with peppermint to boost blood flow, stimulating the hair follicles. An infusion of nettle and peppermint helps to stimulate the scalp and promote healthy hair. Rosemary soothes, calms your scalp and adds a glorious shine to your hair.

@LushLtd

@HumaneSociety

@HSLegFund

#BeCrueltyFree

Media contacts:

Lush Press Office: 020 7434 3948, elizabeth@lush.co.uk

HSI/HSUS/HSLF: Raul Arce-Contreras: rcontreras@humanesociety.org, 301 721 6440

For US supporter enquiries: call 866-614-4371 or fill out HSI's contact form

Notes to Editors

Each year around the world an estimated 500,000 animals suffer and die in cruel and outdated cosmetic safety tests. Rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and rats are the most common animals used to test cosmetics, who may be subjected to having cosmetic chemicals dripped in their eyes, spread on their shaved skin, or force fed to them orally in massive, even lethal doses. Much of this testing is a product of legal requirements in China, which continue to mandate animal testing for most types of beauty products.

Lush believes that the most effective and humane way to test the safety of both ingredients and finished products are through modern non-animal tests and a panel of human volunteers.

Products and ingredients are never tested on animals, nor do they engage with third-party suppliers to test on their behalf. Lush’s strict policy means they will not buy any ingredient from any supplier that tests its materials on animals for any purpose.

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We're there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty—on the Web at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to the blog, A Humane Nation. Join The HSUS on Facebook. Follow The HSUS on Twitter. See our work for animals on your Apple or Android device by searching for our “Humane TV” app.

Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations. For 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programmes. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide—on the Web at hsi.org.

Thousands of big cats are kept as pets or maintained in ill-equipped roadside zoos in the U.S.

WASHINGTON (March 31, 2017)—Big Cat Rescue, Born Free USA, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund applaud U.S. Representatives Jeff Denham (R-CA), Walter Jones (R-NC), and Niki Tsongas (D-MA) for introducing the Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 1818). The bill would advance animal welfare and protect public safety by prohibiting possession and breeding of tigers, lions, leopards and other big cat species by private individuals and unqualified exhibitors.

This bill would strengthen the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, the existing federal law passed unanimously in 2003, by closing the loopholes that allow private possession of big cats by unqualified individuals. Existing owners that do not qualify for an exemption may keep the big cats they currently possess so long as they notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The bill provides for reasonable exemptions for wildlife sanctuaries and exhibitors licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture that meet basic standards intended to protect the public and the animals.

According to Kate Dylewsky, program associate at Born Free USA, "This common sense and narrowly-crafted bill is an urgently-needed solution to the problem of big cats kept in unsafe and abusive situations around the country. Thousands of big cats are currently owned as pets or maintained in ill-equipped roadside zoos. These poorly regulated facilities—with animals kept in basements, cement pits, or in backyards—pose a severe risk to the safety of people in surrounding communities, as well as the welfare of the cats themselves."

Nicole Paquette, vice president of wildlife for The Humane Society of the United States, said, "Tigers, lions, and other big cats should not be kept in peoples' homes or backyards. In order to protect the public, there needs to be strong oversight of these private owners who, in most cases, do not have the expertise needed to properly care for these animals in captivity. Some states have little to no laws regarding the keeping of big cats and it's time for a uniform federal law that ends this dangerous industry once and for all."

Carson Barylak, campaigns officer at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, noted that "there are now more tigers in private hands in the U.S. than remain in the wild, and nearly all of them are denied proper veterinary care, nutrition and enrichment." Moreover, "law enforcement officers and other first responders—including those who have encountered these deadly animals in the course of their work—have joined animal rescue and conservation advocates in supporting the Big Cat Public Safety Act. Emergency officials and the communities that they protect, much like the big cats themselves, should not be placed in harm's way by a private owner's irresponsible decision to keep big cats."

"Relying on accredited sanctuaries to take in unwanted and usually neglected big cats is not a viable solution," said Carole Baskin, founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue. "When individuals foolishly acquire big cats as pets or exploit them in entertainment businesses, the cats often suffer in deplorable conditions with inadequate nutrition and veterinary care for many years. Then when owners realize they are not equipped to take care of a big cat or no longer want them, the burden to house and care for these big cats falls upon sanctuaries. This is not the solution; it does not address the inhumane treatment of the cats nor the public safety issues."

Facts:

• There have been more than 700 dangerous incidents in the U.S. involving tigers, lions, and cougars, including hundreds of human injuries, maulings and deaths. In many cases, the animals were shot and killed, often by first responders who are not trained to deal with these situations. The most dramatic example was an October 2011 incident in Zanesville, Ohio, in which a private exotic animal owner released 38 big cats near a populated area, requiring law enforcement to kill the cats—and risk their own lives—for the sake of public safety.
• Big cats are wild animals and suffer when kept as pets. They are often purchased as babies, and private owners typically are not able to manage them once they're fully grown. Consequently, the animals are frequently left to languish in grossly substandard conditions and often deprived of sufficient space, adequate veterinary care, a nutritious diet and enrichment.
• It is standard procedure for some roadside zoos to separate babies from their mothers so they can charge the public to pet and play with the cubs. This is an inhumane and unhealthy practice that can cause lifelong physical and psychological problems—or even death—for the cubs. Young cats, who very quickly outgrow their usefulness in the cub handling industry, end up warehoused at substandard "zoos," sold into the exotic pet trade or possibly even killed and sold for parts—all while a vicious cycle of constant breeding churns out more babies to be exploited.

Media Contacts:

• Big Cat Rescue: Susan Bass, Susan.Bass@BigCatRescue.org, 813-431-2720
• Born Free USA: Rodi Rosensweig, TheRodiCompany@gmail.com, 203-270-8929
• Humane Society Legislative Fund / Humane Society of the United States Thaisi Da Silva, tdasilva@humanesociety.org, 301-258-1497
• International Fund for Animal Welfare: Abby Berman, abby@rosengrouppr.com, 212-255-8455

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We're there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- on the Web at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to the blog, A Humane Nation. Join The HSUS on Facebook. Follow The HSUS on Twitter. See our work for animals on your Apple or Android device by searching for our “Humane TV” app.

Big Cat Rescue is one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world devoted to rescuing and providing a permanent home for abused and abandoned exotic cats. Located in Tampa, Fla., Big Cat Rescue is home to approximately 80 exotic cats, most of whom were abandoned by owners who mistakenly thought they made good pets, abused, seized by authorities, orphaned or retired from performing acts. The sanctuary’s dual mission is to provide the best possible home for the cats in our care and to educate the public about the plight of big cats in captivity and in the wild. www.BigCatRescue.org

Born Free USA is a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Through litigation, legislation, and public education, Born Free USA leads vital campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic "pets," trapping and fur, and the destructive international wildlife trade. Born Free USA brings to America the message of "compassionate conservation": the vision of the U.K.-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free, along with their son, Will Travers. Born Free's mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally. More at www.bornfreeusa.org, www.twitter.com/bornfreeusa, and www.facebook.com/bornfreeusa.

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare): Founded in 1969, IFAW rescues and protects animals around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals, and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org. Follow us on social @action4ifaw and Facebook/IFAW.

Humane Society International, Humane Society Legislative Fund and U.S. Congressional Resolution call for an end to the killing

WASHINGTON (March 31, 2017)—As Japan’s whaling fleet docked today in Shimonoseki, Japan, on its return from its controversial ‘scientific whaling’ in the waters around Antarctica, Humane Society International and the Humane Society Legislative Fund called for an end to the cruelty of harpooning whales. Members of the U.S. Congress are also set to condemn the killing, with a resolution due to be introduced calling for an end to Japanese whaling.

The four-vessel fleet consists of the 8,145-ton Nisshin Maru (the world’s only whaling factory ship) and three smaller ‘catcher vessels’ used primarily to chase and kill the whales. The holds of the vessels contain meat and blubber stripped from the bodies of 333 minke whales frozen and pre-packed for sale in the Japanese marketplace. This number of minke whales taken is the full quota that Japan issued to itself in the multi-year whaling programme that it named NEWREPA. This whaling programme started in 2015 and is set to run for 12 successive years—making a total kill of almost 4,000 of these small baleen whales.

Whales are the largest animals on the planet and there is no humane way to kill them—whalers on a moving ship, in a moving sea, attempting to hit a moving target, chase down the animals with an explosive-tipped harpoon that explodes inside the animals and sinks barbs into their flesh. Most whales do not die instantaneously and may take considerable time to die, after being subjected to more harpoons or peppered with rifle fire.

Kitty Block, executive vice president of HSI, said: "Each year that Japan persists with its discredited scientific whaling is another year where these wonderful animals are needlessly sacrificed. It is an obscene cruelty in the name of science that must end. There is no robust scientific case for slaughtering whales. Commercial whaling in this or any other disguise does not meet any pressing human needs and should be relegated to the annals of history."

While Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, which founded the International Whaling Commission, allows for member nations like Japan to kill whales for scientific investigations, it is widely accepted that Japan’s science is only a pretext for an ongoing commercial hunt, an activity banned by the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling agreed in 1982. Despite this ban, Japan has killed more than 15,000 whales since 1982, finding itself at the centre of global criticism that has included:

• A damning court case at the International Court of Justice which told Japan to desist;
• Various formal international rebukes, including most recently a formal statement of concern from all EU nations issued in January 2017 and being certified four times under the U.S. Pelly Amendment for diminishing the effectiveness of the IWC’s conservation measures and
• Consistent scientific criticism of the “research” associated with the whale killing.

The most recent initiative to push back against Japan’s inhumane and unscientific whale hunts is a resolution to be introduced in the U.S. Congress by Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz. The resolution urges Japan to cease all whaling and affirms the commitment of the U.S. government to protect whales. The resolution further stresses that methods used to kill whales can cause these animals to suffer tremendously and that international cooperation is necessary to successfully conserve and protect whales.

Michael Markarian, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, said: "For far too long, Japan has circumvented the ban on commercial whaling and when the suffering and death of so many whales is at stake, that status quo can’t be tolerated. There remains no justification whatsoever for these hunts."

Media contacts:

HSI (United Kingdom): Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423

HSI/HSLF (Washington DC, USA): Raul Arce-Contreras: rcontreras@humanesociety.org, + 1 240.620.3263

Background

The EU Statement about Japanese whaling of January 17th 2017 (published on the IWC website here) raises various concerns and concludes ‘The EU member states of the ICRW strongly request that the Government of Japan cancels the Special Permits it has issued to conduct whaling under NEWREP-A’. Special Permits are the documents that describe the self-allocated quota.

In March 2014, the ICJ rejected Japan's claim that its whaling programme in Antarctica (Southern Ocean) was for scientific purposes and ordered an immediate halt to the program. Japan initially indicated that it would obey the ruling, but then announced it would resume whaling in the Southern Ocean with a new whaling programme that - in its view - would take into account the detail of the ICJ’s ruling.

At the 2014 meeting of the IWC, the Commission called on Japan not to launch any new special permit whaling until the IWC had had the opportunity to review the new proposal. However, Japan ignored this and duly developed its new scientific whaling programme—NEWREP-A. In February 2015, an independent expert panel of the IWC found that Japan had not made its case for killing whales for science.

In May 2015, Japan presented NEWREP-A to the IWC’s full Scientific Committee which includes scientists working for the Japanese Government. Inevitably, it returned a mixed verdict. That said, many scientists agreed with the key finding of the IWC’s independent panel, reaffirming the view that Japan’s argument for killing whales on scientific grounds was weak.

In October 2015, Japan made a declaration to the United Nations that it would no longer be bound by ICJ jurisdiction regarding living marine resources. This allows Japan to sidestep the ruling or any future rulings of the UN’s highest court just after the country had been given a temporary seat on the UN Security Council.

On Friday 27th November 2015, Japan quietly issued notice to IWC member nations that it would implement NEWREP-A and return to whale killing in the Southern Ocean, and in December 2015, the Japanese whaling fleet resumed whaling in Antarctica, killing its full self-allocated quota of 333 minke whales. (This is in addition to its ongoing whaling in the North Pacific where it killed an additional 90 sei whales, 25 Bryde's whales, 70 minke whales).

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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations. For 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programmes. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide—on the Web at hsi.org.