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

Before the U.S. Senate adjourned on August 2, members advanced several key federal funding bills with significant implications for animals. We’ve been working hard to ensure the best possible outcomes – and we want to share some of the results with you, since we’re going to need your help to lock in the important gains we’ve secured.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

In his dystopian novel Animal Farm, George Orwell uses the pig, Squealer, to show how those in power use language, rhetoric and misdirection to spread propaganda, bend the truth and ensure their continued political and social dominance.

Orwell would have had a field day with the July 23 hearing at the U.S. House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee, which was called “An Examination of the Implications of Proposition 12."

Not only is it hot—very hot—in Washington, DC, this month, but we’re quite literally involved in a blistering fight to preserve federal funding for crucial animal protection concerns.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Images of a lion so thin that ribs, spine and hip bones were prominently visible. Inspection reports noting a lioness confined to a dark den with no light, ventilation or bedding, instead an accumulation of water, urine and feces. A male chimpanzee housed in isolation for nearly a year and a half, which must have been a torment for an animal of such a social species.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

We watched with dismay this week as the House Natural Resources Committee passed the Grizzly Bear State Management Act (H.R. 281), sponsored by Representative Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming), by a party-line vote of 20-19.