Search

In 2023, in the states, we helped to pass 153 good measures and prevented the passage of 66 bad ones. We’re on a similar course this year, and the first half of 2024 has seen a nice string of public policy successes at the state level. We’ve helped to pass bills on animals in cosmetics testing, cruelty statute upgrades, fur farming, outdoor dogs, spay/neuter funding, captive wildlife and veterinary licensure for out-of-state practitioners. And just yesterday, with Gov. Phil Scott’s signature, Vermont became the eighth state to prohibit the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores.

The U.S. Department of Justice just announced that Inotiv will pay more than $35 million, including an $11 million fine for violating the Animal Welfare Act, the largest in the Act’s history, because of violations that occurred at a facility that bred dogs for use in animal testing in Cumberland, Virginia. Inotiv is the parent company of Envigo RMS, which owned the breeding facility. As a result of these violations and a federal investigation, during 2022, our team removed more than 4,000 beagles in a monumental effort.

When they learned there was a way out of raising puppies for sale and slaughter, two business owners in Viet Nam seized the opportunity. Because they contacted our team in Viet Nam to help them transition their businesses to kinder livelihoods, they will no longer be complicit in the trade that kills 5 million dogs and 1 million cats each year for meat in Viet Nam.

Just over five years ago, our teams rescued Douala along with more than 200 other wild animals from the St. Edouard Zoo, an unaccredited zoo in Quebec, Canada, which had a history of warnings and charges from the local government. This time, the operator of the zoo had been charged with two counts of criminal cruelty and neglect following an investigation by the Montreal SPCA, leading to the seizure of these animals and the closure of the zoo.

In the most remote regions of Romania, economic hardship means that resources and opportunities of many kinds are scarce. And yet, the bond between humans and companion animals is as strong here as it is anywhere.

Today, we filed a complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission against the largest meat and poultry company in the world, JBS and its subsidiary, Pilgrim’s Pride. Together with the Center for Biological Diversity, and in partnership with the Farmed Animal Advocacy Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School, we allege that these companies are misleading investors about how they treat animals and about their climate and environmental impacts.

Earlier this year, I told you about lawsuits filed in Ohio against Petland that revealed heartbreaking stories of sick puppies.

This year's Taking Action for Animals conference takes place over one jam-packed weekend from July 19 to 22 just steps away from the nation’s capital, during which participants have the opportunity to learn about some of the most significant animal welfare issues of our time, connect with other advocates and participate in Humane Lobby Day on Capitol Hill.

Under the guise of conservation, Alaska wildlife officials have recently killed 175 grizzly bears, including at least 20 cubs, as well as 19 wolves and five black bears. The method of choice has largely been to shoot them from helicopters and airplanes.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review a challenge to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which was signed into law in 2020 in an effort to better ensure the safety of horses used in racing in the U.S. Prior to the passage of the Act, there was a patchwork of laws throughout the country that were confusing and didn’t help to properly protect horses. Because of this, we fought for years for the passage and proper implementation of the Act to ensure meaningful oversight over the welfare of these horses, because as long as horses are raced, they deserve to be protected from harm.

A videographer recently traveled with the Rural Area Veterinary Services program to South Dakota to document the profound impact that bringing essential veterinary resources to underserved communities can have on the lives of people and their animals. 

Here's what our team has been doing to help people prepare and how you can best equip your family’s companion animals for emergency situations.

Dogfighting creates and perpetuates a life cycle of abuse. Dogs bred, conditioned and forced to fight one another often die of dehydration, infection, blood loss, exhaustion or shock hours or even days after the fight, and mother dogs are used as breeding machines to produce more victims for these horrific spectacles. We worked to ensure that dogfighting is banned across the U.S. and now we’re focused on enforcing these bans. When asked to assist law enforcement in a bust of an alleged dogfighting ring earlier this year, our rescue team seized the opportunity to interrupt this cycle of violence to give so many dogs a chance at loving homes. One of these dogs was Joan Jett, who was nursing six puppies when we found her. Here, Lindsay Hamrick, our director of shelter outreach and engagement, who became Joan Jett’s foster, follows up on Joan Jett’s story.

Illinois is among the worst states when it comes to wildlife killing contests, with roughly 30 of these bloody events taking place each year that result in the cumulative deaths of thousands of coyotes, raccoons, foxes, squirrels and other animals. Following our 2023 investigation into a wildlife killing contest in Mendon, Illinois, this year the Illinois House of Representatives passed legislation (HB 2900) to prohibit the competitions. We’re now urging the Senate to do the same.

I recently had the opportunity to meet with our summer interns virtually to learn more about their interests in animal welfare and their future plans, and I look forward to meeting several of them in person at our Taking Action for Animals conference this week. Speaking with our interns never fails to strengthen my hope for the future of our humane movement. 

I am glad to share the encouraging story of a Vietnamese cat meat farmer who's just decided to give up the trade and join our campaign for change, transitioning to a humane livelihood and helping us to make the case against dog and cat meat farming. 

Ahead of the first Bok Nal since the passage of the Special Act to ban the dog meat industry in South Korea, people gathered in a hopeful celebration at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul. The event was organized by a coalition of animal protection groups, including our team at Humane Society International/Korea. 

This past weekend we held our Taking Action for Animals conference just outside of Washington, D.C., with over 450 advocates who came from all over the country to attend. At a time that may feel divisive and politically uncertain, this event was a testament to the dedication and steadfast unity that the cause of animal protection rallies.

This week, in the case of Triumph Foods v. Campbell, the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, upheld the constitutionality of Question 3, the state’s landmark 2016 ballot measure prohibiting cruel confinement of breeding pigs, egg-laying hens and calves raised for veal as well as the sale of meat and eggs that come from such confinement systems. The court sided with the staggering 78% of Massachusetts voters who enacted the law, proclaiming that it “is not preempted” by federal law as the pork producer plaintiffs had argued.

Before the sun rises, members of our team jump on their motorbikes, checking their phones to make sure their batteries are charged before setting off. Each has an assigned Google map route as they set out to collect information on the street dogs they see on the road. Are they spayed and neutered? How many are adults? How many are puppies? What is the general health condition of each dog?