Wildlife
Wild animals face serious threats on many fronts. State and federal legislation, along with strong regulations, are often needed to protect wildlife, including endangered species.
Justice for Cecil and the other victims of trophy hunting
It’s been four years since an American trophy hunter and his guide lured an African lion named Cecil out of his protected home in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and killed him. The appalling circumstances of Cecil’s death sparked worldwide outrage, and drew attention to a shocking truth about the responsibility of American citizens and the United States government for such tragic slaughter.
Our animal protection agenda wins big in House Appropriations funding package
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
There’s a reason why the Humane Society Legislative Fund and the Humane Society of the United States invest substantial time and effort in seeking to shape funding decisions within the U.S. Congress; it pays off big for animal protection. Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted 227-194 to pass a large package of fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills to fund several federal departments, including Agriculture, Interior and Commerce. H.R. 3055 features a number of great provisions for animals. Some of the most important include:
Spending bills move up in Congress, with progress for wild horses and burros, wolves and other wildlife
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
An American trophy hunter wants to bring home an endangered cheetah he killed in Namibia
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The cheetah, an animal capable of top speeds of 75 miles per hour, is racing toward extinction, with just 7,100 animals left in the wild. Recently, in another expression of the callous disregard trophy hunters show for the world’s most endangered and at-risk animals, an American who killed a cheetah in Namibia, has applied to import trophy parts from his kill into the United States.
Urgent alert! Act now to prevent trophy hunting of gray wolves
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Time is running out for America’s gray wolves. The opportunity to weigh in on a proposed federal rule that would prematurely strip Endangered Species Act protections for the wolves in the lower 48 states ends soon, and it is important that you comment by tomorrow. These animals are still in a fragile state of recovery after years of persecution, and delisting them could have disastrous consequences for their future and for the well-being of the ecosystems in which they live.
Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act moves up in Congress; New film exposes cruelty and corruption in global trade
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act passed the Senate Commerce Committee with a near-unanimous voice vote this week, with American lawmakers leaving no doubt of how they view the nefarious global trade in which fishermen cut the fins off sharks and dump them back in the waters to drown, be eaten alive by other fish, or bleed to death.
Breaking: Chilling video shows poachers slaughtering hibernating black bear mother, cubs in Alaska
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Breaking news: U.S. reinstates safeguards to prevent wild horse and burro slaughter
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
In a major victory for our campaign to protect wild horses and burros, the United States this week reinstated important safeguards that will prevent unscrupulous kill buyers from purchasing large numbers of these iconic American animals and funneling them to slaughter abroad.
