By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

One court after another has shot down the pork industry’s repeated challenges to the legality of our game-changing farm animal welfare laws. The most recent resounding win for animals comes from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which has upheld a Massachusetts law that bans the cruel confinement of egg-laying hens, breeding pigs and calves raised for veal.

Jane Goodall remembered as a hero for animals

WASHINGTON, D.C.―Humane World for Animals, formally known as the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, mourn the loss of Jane Goodall DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and U.N. Messenger of Peace. The primatologist’s name became synonymous with conservation and animal protection due to her contributions to improving the lives of animals, including wild chimpanzees and primates used in laboratory experiments for medical research.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

At midnight last night, the U.S. federal government shut down because Congress failed to pass funding legislation for the government in the new fiscal year, which begins October 1. When a shutdown occurs, “non-essential” federal workers are furloughed, which means they are placed on temporary leave in accordance with agency contingency plans. Some workers remain to continue operations deemed “essential,” typically working without pay until the federal government reopens.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Over the weekend, a roadside zoo in Hugo, Oklahoma, announced on Facebook that its owner and operator, Ryan Easley, had been killed by a tiger. Growler Pines Tiger Preserve’s post stated: “This tragedy is a painful reminder of both the beauty and unpredictability of the natural world.”

This is a tragedy that never should have happened. Our sympathy goes out to Easley’s loved ones who now grapple with the grief of loss.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

A decade ago, an American trophy hunter shot an African lion just outside Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park with an arrow. Like many hunters before and after him, he was seeking a trophy, a part of his kill that he could lawfully import back home to the United States. He could hang it on his wall, and have a story to tell, too. To his family. To his friends. To fellow hunters at Safari Club International conventions.