By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized critical trade protections for African elephants. Serious threats such as poaching, habitat encroachment and climate change continue to imperil this endangered species; African elephants have suffered a severe population decline over the last 100 years.
WASHINGTON (March 29, 2024)—Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a final rule governing import permits for live African elephants and elephant hunting trophies. This action effectively bans elephant hunting trophy imports from certain countries that serve as major destinations for trophy hunters—a win for the conservation of the species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Update September 24, 2024: We and our partners have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for missing its deadline to decide whether the common hippopotamus should be protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We are determined to give these animals the protections they deserve.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
News has come out that another bull elephant was shot and killed in Tanzania, reportedly by an American trophy hunter from Texas. This is the third bull, believed to likely be another “super tusker,” beloved by locals, gunned down near the Tanzanian-Kenyan border, part of the Greater Amboseli Ecosystem, within the past six months.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Fur production in the U.S. is plummeting, and that’s good news for animals. Every five years, as part of the U.S. Census, the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases data on mink farms in the country. The newly released numbers show that in 2017, 236 mink fur farms existed in the U.S. Five years later, only 110 mink fur farms remained. With the speed of this decline, we believe even more mink farms have closed in the last year.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Update March 21, 2024: The second package of federal funding bills was released today, and we were pleased to see that there is NO funding to expand primate testing infrastructure at the National Institutes of Health in this final bill! We thank everyone who reached out to their elected federal officials about this important issue.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The Humane Society of the United States' blog recently covered the benefits of reducing the consumption of animal products both for farmed animals and for the climate. But there are many other potential beneficiaries of a revamping of how animals are bred and farmed in various contexts, from ranches to fur farms. Here are some of the wild animals who suffer because of animal agriculture:
Wolves
