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Wildlife protection India
50,000 rupee reward offered in case of pregnant elephant killed by a firecracker in Kerala, India

Malappuram, India—Animal charity Humane Society International/India is offering a reward of up to 50,000 IN rupees in Malappuram district of Kerala, for information leading to the positive identification, arrest and conviction of those responsible for the killing of a pregnant elephant who

Just weeks ahead of Yulin dog meat festival, China’s Agriculture Ministry officially confirms dogs are companions, not for eating

WASHINGTON—Just three weeks ahead of China’s infamous Yulin dog meat festival at which thousands of dogs are killed for consumption, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has made official its declaration that dogs are companions and not “livestock” for eating. The

Masked man in Hong Kong market
Jayne Russell/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News
Wildlife protection
BREAKING: Wuhan, China, bans eating of wildlife in response to COVID-19

WASHINGTON—The Chinese city of Wuhan, which was the first to record human cases of COVID-19, has banned the consumption of all wildlife. This follows similar bans in the cities of Beijing, Shenzhen and Zhuhai, and an as-yet temporary nationwide ban on wildlife

HSI
Europe
European Commission will start supporting plant-based diets in new Farm to Fork Strategy, but “chickened out” of removing EU funding for meat promotion

BRUSSELS—The European Commission will promote a shift to planet-friendly plant-based diets, according to its long-awaited Farm to Fork Strategy published today. As well as tackling climate impacts of food, reducing obesity rates and cancer prevention are cited as key health reasons why

Europe: Prioritise human-predictive, non-animal approaches to cancer research

The European Commission is inviting public input on its strategy for beating cancer. Currently, more than 1 million animals are used each year in European cancer research, funded by taxpayers to the tune of millions of euros. Yet despite the high welfare

Trevor Mogg/Alamy
Wildlife protection
China’s wildlife farmers offered buy-out to grow plants instead of porcupines in COVID-19 crackdown

WASHINGTON—Wildlife farmers in two provinces in mainland China are being offered a government buy-out to facilitate a move away from breeding wild species for consumption, as part of the country’s crackdown on the wildlife trade in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

Hoang Xuan Thuy Live dogs being sold by a dog trader in Vietnam May 2020
Global
VIDEO: Campaigners unite to urge governments across Asia to shut down dog & cat meat trades as ‘perfect breeding ground’ for next public health disaster

WASHINGTON—Animal protection groups from around the world have joined forces to urge governments across Asia to act urgently to permanently shut down unsanitary and brutal dog and cat meat markets and trades, amid growing global concern about zoonotic diseases and public health

South Africa
UK tabloid story gets it wrong about South Africa and COVID-19

South Africa—Following publication of an online story in the UK’s Daily Express newspaper, published (11 May 2020), Humane Society International-Africa has released the following statement of clarification regarding the misleading nature of its headline and various quotes attributed to Audrey Delsink, HSI-Africa’s

Masked man in Hong Kong market
Jayne Russell/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News
Global
If it fails to support an end to wildlife markets, the World Health Organization would fail to protect human health

WASHINGTON (May 8, 2020)—The Associated Press is reporting that a scientist from the World Health Organization does not support closing live animal markets, such as the one in Wuhan, China, linked to COVID-19. The remarks were reportedly made by WHO food safety

Working toward a Humane World

"A Humane World" is the official blog of Humane World for Animals—a first-hand account of our ongoing efforts to protect animals, as told by our president and CEO, Kitty Block. Subscribe for regular updates.

Jean Chung/HSI