By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
For years, successive UK governments, including the current one, have promised to ban trophy hunting imports from certain kinds of imperiled wild animals, such as the severed heads and feet from elephants, lions and rhinos. In recent years, three bills have been introduced to stop British hunters from bringing home trophy souvenirs, two of which came close to becoming law.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
There’s some good news for animals in the funding packages for the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Department of Justice that passed the Senate last week and were just signed into law.
These wins are the result of animal advocates—both us and our allies—who never wavered in the view that the protection of animals matters, and that it’s something that the American people want. Here are the animal welfare wins in the FY2026 funding packages:
Gray wolves and grizzly bears saved
WASHINGTON (Jan.16, 2026)—Wildlife and conservation advocates from Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund (formerly called Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International and Humane Society Legislative Fund) issued the following statements on the news that the U.S. government has pressed the UK government to abandon its pledge to end trophy hunting imports:
WASHINGTON (January 15, 2026)—Humane World Action Fund, formerly called Humane Society Legislative Fund, issued the following statement on Congress passing a FY2026 funding package for the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Department of Justice among other federal agencies.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
As we enter 2026, the speed at which global events unfold can feel overwhelming and the future can feel uncertain. It is also true, though, that good things are happening: Every day, all over the world, people are giving their voices to the voiceless, taking a stand for animals who cannot advocate for themselves. In that sense, every single day marks progress toward the more humane world we are trying to achieve in every country where our teams are active.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Our vision is to create a more humane world in which humans and animals live in harmony and no animal suffers from the actions of people. For wild animals, in our era of intense pressures from climate change and the loss of biodiversity and habitat, this means keeping wild animals wild, defending the ones kept in captivity from further harm, and supporting human communities to prevent conflicts that could cost animals their lives.
