Today the U.S. Senate rejected the continuation of the shark fin trade by passing the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act (SFSEA) as part of a broader legislative package, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, S. 1260. This victory for sharks is overdue, as the international fin trade is forcing many of these apex species toward extinction.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales remain on our planet; fins from 73 million sharks are traded every year; warming waters render habitats increasingly unlivable for animals once at home there. Clearly, the status quo for the animals of our oceans urgently needs to change.

Justice found Jeff Lowe at his “Tiger King Zoo” in Thackerville, Oklahoma on Monday. That’s when the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) confiscated 68 lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar from the property.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

If you’ve been online at all in the past week, chances are you’ve seen the footage of an alarmed off-duty police officer pointing a gun at an approaching tiger in a sleepy residential neighborhood in Houston. 

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Today, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved two important pieces of marine wildlife legislation, paving the way for full Senate action on them. The committee unanimously passed the Marine Mammal Research and Response Act, S. 1289, and passed the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act as part of a larger legislative package.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

We all know what dogs love: a comfortable napping spot, a romp in the grass, a kind touch and the safety and security of a caring environment. But thousands of dogs in commercial breeding operations licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sell to pet stores and online have none of these comforts.