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Breaking: Fast-growing ‘frankenchickens’ to be phased out under G.A.P. certification
At last, there is significant new progress on the welfare of chickens raised for meat. Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.), a U.S.-based organization that develops standards for farmed animal welfare, has decided to phase in slower-growing breeds of chickens. Most of the chickens used for meat have
In Canada, baby seals still face a cruel fate
Today I’m turning the blog over to my colleague Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of Humane Society International/Canada. For nearly two decades, Rebecca has been on the literal front lines of the fight to save animals, traveling to the ice floes of the Northwest Atlantic to document Canada’s
Cuddling a baby tiger or riding an elephant could leave you more guilty than gratified, study says
Walking alongside a lion in South Africa or feeding a baby tiger with a milk bottle at a roadside zoo stateside as you smile into the camera might seem like a novel idea, but it never has a good outcome for the animal. And increasingly, American travelers are beginning to realize this, according to
A decade’s worth of wins against cosmetics animal testing
Tomorrow, March 11, 2023, marks the 10-year anniversary of a historic paradigm shift away from cosmetics animal testing. When the European Union and Israel became the world’s first markets to ban animal tests for cosmetics such as makeup, shampoo and cologne, the change jump-started our global
An inside look at what it takes to go undercover for the animals
Imagine having to work in a roadside zoo, a pet store selling puppy mill puppies, a slaughter plant or a factory farm without ever being able to show your true feelings. Would you ever be able to walk alone among hundreds of dead animals at a wildlife killing contest, surrounded by people carrying
Pushing the federal law to end cruel slaughter of horses to the finish line
It is a long way from the stable, paddock and winner’s circle at Churchill Downs to the dark, dank and bloody slaughterhouses in which tens of thousands of American horses meet their sad and pitiable end each year. Yet some former racehorses do make that terrible journey, and it’s hard not to think
MASH-style clinics bring lifesaving services to pets on U.S. reservations
When Brown Puppy's family brought him into the Rural Area Veterinary Services clinic in San Carlos, Arizona, he was suffering from a bad head wound. Another dog had bitten him, and Brown Puppy’s head was so swollen that he could not lift it. His eyes were shut tight. Working fast, a team of
Washington Post reveals White House may have meddled to stop USDA inspectors from helping suffering animals
There are new and explosive revelations about the lengths the Trump administration may be going to in order to prevent U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors from documenting and reporting violations of the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act. A Washington Post story details a
Right whales are now 'critically endangered'—just a step away from extinction
In late June, the body of a dead North Atlantic right whale calf was found floating off the coast of New Jersey—a victim of two boat strikes, according to a preliminary analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While this would have been a sad story no matter what animal was
Has trophy hunting changed since the death of Cecil the lion?
It has been six years since the death of Cecil, a male lion who was a popular individual for wildlife viewing tourists visiting Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. The heartbreaking details of the hunt that killed Cecil made international headlines: Cecil was lured out of the protected area with
Saving Cecil’s descendants from trophy hunting
In August, reports began to surface that a lion in Zimbabwe, who was beloved by local communities, was likely lured out of Hwange National Park and allegedly killed by an American trophy hunter. His name was Mopane. For anyone who followed the story of Cecil the lion in 2015, these details created a
Fast food chains are putting plant-based options on the menu
At the Super Bowl this year, we caught a glimpse of the future of food from an unlikely source: Carl’s Jr. During the big game, the fast food chain advertised its new Beyond Burger — a patty that tastes just like meat, but is entirely plant-based. For a major fast food chain to announce a plant
Breaking: HSUS/HSLF report identifies key U.S. policy changes needed to avoid another pandemic
Recently, the United Nations identified some of the top drivers of zoonotic diseases, like COVID-19, that spread from animals to humans. Not surprisingly, the top three factors specified align exactly with issues the Humane Society family of organizations named in May in our own global policy plan
The truth Gov. Noem’s puppy-killing scandal reveals about us all
Every now and then an individual animal’s story captures worldwide attention and brings the pains and paradoxes of our relationship to other species into stark relief. We saw this with Cecil, Harambe and Lolita—animals who became famous because of their tragic fates. We saw it last month with a wild
Third outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 on a fur farm in Italy, in the municipality of Galeata (FC)
GALEATA, Italy—The World Organisation for Animal Health has announced Italy’s third outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 on a mink fur farm, located in the municipality of Galeata (FC). The farm has been closed since Italy’s national fur farming ban came into force on 1 January this year, with 1,523 minks
Cat meat farmer in Viet Nam is latest to join HSI’s program to leave the dog and cat meat trade and start new life growing crops
THAI NGUYEN , Viet Nam—The owner of a cat fattening farm and slaughterhouse in Thai Nguyen, where kittens were fattened up and killed for the cat meat trade, has expressed his relief at being able to leave animal cruelty behind him thanks to a charity program. Through working with Humane Society
Armed thieves, rabies-infected dog meat highlight dangers of Indonesia’s dog and cat meat trade as campaigners fear tourists could be at risk
JAKARTA—Campaigners from the Dog Meat-Free Indonesia coalition warn that millions of global tourists could be at risk of exposure to the deadly rabies virus spread by the county’s illegal dog and cat meat trade. The latest evidence concerning rabies risk comes in the form of a rabies-positive dog
The Need for EU Legislation on Invasive Alien Species
In September 2013, the European Commission adopted a proposal for an EU Regulation on the control and management of ‘invasive alien species’. This legislation has significant implications for animal welfare and could, amongst other things, lead to restrictions on the trade of various exotic pet
South Korea scraps long-term dog pesticide test requirement in response to international pressure
SEOUL—Humane Society International is celebrating a successful end to its campaign in South Korea to abolish the use of beagles in long-term testing of pesticides. This follows an announcement by the country’s pesticide authority that it will join the United States, European Union, India, Canada and
‘Now I see my life differently’: A beautiful story from our Pets for Life program
In the U.S., at least 20 million pets live in homes experiencing poverty or in underserved areas where resources are limited or essentially nonexistent. This is why I have spoken about access to care as one of the defining animal welfare issues of our time and why we have campaigns like More Than a