By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The longest federal shutdown in American history has ended. The funding package that was passed by the U.S. House and Senate earlier this week has now been signed into law.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
A scandal in the pork industry is suggesting the true motives behind the attack on voter-supported farmed animal welfare laws: In a settlement of a federal class-action lawsuit, disclosed in late September, Tyson Foods agreed to pay $85 million to address allegations of price-fixing in the pork market, the largest-ever settlement of its kind.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Every year, people flock to places like Yellowstone National Park just to try to catch a glimpse of wolves in the wild. Wolves have long symbolized the powerful allure of our wild spaces—but more than that: As a keystone species, wolves are drivers of balanced ecosystems and a powerful reminder that wild animals are part of complex social structures and have deep bonds with their families—just as we do.
By Kathleen Conlee
For more than two decades, Kathleen Conlee, our vice president of Animal Research Issues in the U.S., has been working to end the use of animals in testing and research. But before she became an advocate for animal protection, she worked at a breeding facility that supplied primates to laboratories for research and testing. In this guest blog, I’ve invited her to tell us more about how this shaped her perspective and what life is like for animals inside these places.
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."
