The war on wildlife: Trump's latest move and what you can do about it
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Last week, President Trump issued a new executive order directing federal agencies to expand hunting and permit the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on public lands. The order is called: “Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage.”
And it is a farce.
Did your federal legislators support animal protection measures? Check out our 2026 scorecard to find out
Today, we have posted the preview version of our annual Humane Scorecard covering the second half of the 119th Congress to help you assess the position of federal legislators on our priority measures. The 119th Congress has presented our movement with unprecedented challenges in many areas of serious concern, and with your support and engagement, we’ve done our best to hold the line against the worst threats to animal protection.
New White House executive order seeks to expand hunting and toxic lead use on public lands
New directive raises concerns about wildlife exposure to lead, expanded hunting access and increased killing of wild carnivores
In another major strike, Trump administration escalates its assault on the Endangered Species Act
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
A Trump administration memo obtained by The New York Times reveals an unprecedented attack on one of the most favored and effective wildlife protection laws in the U.S., the Endangered Species Act.
There’s no such thing as a ‘pet monkey.’ Here’s why.
Creating a more humane world for animals often involves rallying support for laws that will protect animals from harm. But it also involves sounding the alarm when efforts to weaken legal protections for animals emerge. Recently, a petition surfaced in front of the California Fish and Game Commission that, if successful, would have allowed private individuals to keep some species of primates as pets. Our wildlife team knows that the wild animal pet trade causes immense suffering on a massive scale, so they took immediate action.
Trump’s executive order sacrifices wolves to shore up rancher and farmer support
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The Trump administration struck a harsh blow to wolves late last week. In an executive order, Trump tasks Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to determine within 90 days whether two species of wolves who inhabit the United States—gray wolves and Mexican wolves— meet the criteria for removing their Endangered Species Act protections.
Trump executive order targets federal protections for wolves
New directive calls for a review of Endangered Species Act protections for gray and Mexican wolves, potentially opening the door to expanded killing.
Time’s up for mink fur farms, incubators of avian influenza and other viral threats
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The factory farming of mink for fur is cruel and unnecessary, and it certainly shouldn’t be subsidized by the United States government. Or any government.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service detected H5N1, avian influenza, on a mink fur farm in Salt Lake County, Utah. This marks the first detection of the contagious virus on a fur factory farm in the U.S.
