Breaking: Chilling video shows poachers slaughtering hibernating black bear mother, cubs in Alaska
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Horseracing Integrity Act will crack down on drugging, protect racehorses
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
In recent years, major professional sports have taken crucial steps to rid themselves of illegal doping in order to create a more level playing field and to protect athletes from the adverse effects of performance-enhancing drugs. But there has been no such respite for equine athletes in the horse racing industry, where both legal and illegal drugs continue to be used widely.
Breaking news: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes stripping federal protections for wolves
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it will issue a proposed rule to strip Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in all of the lower 48 states, further jeopardizing animals in a fragile state of recovery after years of persecution. The proposed rule, announced by Acting Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, would especially affect wolf populations in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Oregon where they are now protected under the ESA.
Bill in Congress would ban private ownership of tigers, lions, and other big cats
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Thousands of tigers, lions, leopards, and other big cats are kept in private homes and poorly run exhibits across the United States. These wild and dangerous animals are forced to spend their lives in inhumane conditions, locked up in small cages that are as far from their natural habitat as can be. And as we have seen time and again, they create a major safety hazard for citizens who live in their vicinity.
Bipartisan bill in Congress will crack down on puppy mill cruelty
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Bipartisan bills introduced in Congress to ban shark fin trade in U.S., end malicious cruelty to animals
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The 116th Congress began work today on rooting out some of the worst forms of animal cruelty in the world, with House members reintroducing two important bipartisan bills. One would ban malicious acts of animal cruelty and bestiality, and the other would prohibit the destructive trade in shark fins within our borders.
From Atlanta to Umbabat, American trophy hunters pose a threat to endangered species
This week, the International Wildlife Conservation Council, a Department of the Interior advisory group dominated by big-game trophy hunters, held its second public meeting, in Atlanta. This advisory group seeks to promote the trophy hunting of charismatic animal species on the taxpayer dime—and questions and discussions at the meeting underscored that the council aims to weaken existing protections for threatened and endangered species, all to make it easier for trophy hunters to import animal trophies into the United States.
Animals fare better in the Senate Farm Bill as it makes it way out of committee
Today, the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee approved its Farm Bill—and it’s a much brighter picture for animals than the House counterpart bill. We are grateful to Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Ranking Democrat Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) for working together to craft a bipartisan bill that avoids major anti-animal provisions and includes an important pro-animal measure.
Abandoned puppy at airport highlights need for PAWS Act
A 3-month-old Chihuahua puppy named Chewy was abandoned inside a Las Vegas airport restroom two weekends ago. The heartbreaking note from Chewy’s owner highlights a critical policy issue that should be a call to action for lawmakers.
