Breeding dogs at puppy mills rarely get to retire. Most of the mother dogs are considered spent at just 6 years old because they can no longer reliably produce litters. They’re only halfway through their lives, and if given a chance, they could live into their teens, but too often, the end of their...
The fight for public policy gains for animals at the federal level is not for the faint of heart nor the weak of spirit. Every day, in every congressional session, it’s an all-out battle to secure humane laws and regulations. Whatever we achieve, we achieve against determined opposition, including...
For some years now, we have been keeping a close eye on three Chicago pet stores that have been finding their way around a city ordinance that prohibits the sales of commercially raised dogs and cats in pet stores to fight the problem of puppy mills. Instead of following the law and doing the right...
A new United Nations report out today foretells a dire future for Planet Earth: as many as one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction, mainly due to human actions, including development, the cutting of down forests and exhaustion of natural resources, and poaching. More than a...
By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson Right whales are critically endangered, with no more than 400 individuals surviving along the U.S. and Canadian coast. But we have an opportunity right now to help save this species. The National Marine Fisheries Service is considering a rule that would reduce one of...
In the most important farm animal welfare debate of the 21st century so far―the U.S. Supreme Court case regarding California’s Proposition 12—it was beyond disconcerting that the Biden administration put itself on the wrong side of progress by backing the advocates of cruelty and bottom-of-the-barrel pork production. The producers fighting Proposition 12 are trying to maintain the status quo of using intensive confinement systems such as gestation crates—metal cages so small pregnant pigs can’t even turn around for months on end and have been documented chewing on the bars until their mouths bleed from constant frustration. Those who don't feel like meeting the public’s demand for more humane treatment of farm animals are fighting Proposition 12 every way they can.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended the license of the roadside zoo where self-styled “Tiger King” Joe Exotic bred, held captive and mistreated hundreds of tigers and other wild animals for two decades. Soon after news of the suspension—which is for a period of 21 days—leaked out, Jeff...
In light of the urgent need to address climate change and promote sustainable practices in agriculture and other sectors, there is a growing realization that our food choices matter. Some people believe that switching from beef to chicken sufficiently addresses climate concerns when it comes to diet, but when compared to non-meat sources of protein, chicken production is still the source of significantly more greenhouse gas emissions.
Once again, members of our Animal Rescue Team are taking action on the ground in the wake of disaster in a particularly brutal storm season. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly this team moves and how many places they go, including areas where there are so few resources. They endure considerable hardship, sometimes even having to camp out or sleep in their cars, eating and resting when they can, all to respond to the dire needs of people and communities who have often suffered unfathomable losses.
Last week, Ohioans showed up at the polls to defend a core tenet of democracy that is vitally important to the animal protection movement: the ballot measure. On Issue 1—the proposal to raise the threshold for amending the Constitution of the State of Ohio from 50% to a 60% supermajority—the no vote...
Once again, we are seeing heartbreaking visuals from Yulin, China, in the run-up to the annual dog meat “festival” there this Sunday. A video recorded by Humane Society International’s partners on the ground shows rows and rows of dog carcasses lying on tables or being butchered with cleavers, all...
More than thirty baby elephants, torn from their mothers in the wild in Zimbabwe almost a year ago, embarked on a new journey of captivity and suffering this week when they were flown to China, where they are expected to spend the rest of their lives in zoos or circuses. Humane Society International...