With the Super Tuesday primary elections behind us, and the Democratic and Republican Party nominations nearly settled, we wanted to provide a review of the animal welfare records of President Biden and President Trump.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized critical trade protections for African elephants. Serious threats such as poaching, habitat encroachment and climate change continue to imperil this endangered species; African elephants have suffered a severe population decline over the last 100 years.
Victory: U.S. restricts the import of live African elephants and trophies
Victory: U.S. restricts the import of live African elephants and trophies
WASHINGTON (March 29, 2024)—Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a final rule governing import permits for live African elephants and elephant hunting trophies. This action effectively bans elephant hunting trophy imports from certain countries that serve as major destinations for trophy hunters—a win for the conservation of the species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Legal action launched to protect hippos under US Endangered Species Act
Legal action launched to protect hippos under US Endangered Species Act
Groups prepare to sue after government misses key deadline
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
News has come out that another bull elephant was shot and killed in Tanzania, reportedly by an American trophy hunter from Texas. This is the third bull, believed to likely be another “super tusker,” beloved by locals, gunned down near the Tanzanian-Kenyan border, part of the Greater Amboseli Ecosystem, within the past six months.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Fur production in the U.S. is plummeting, and that’s good news for animals. Every five years, as part of the U.S. Census, the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases data on mink farms in the country. The newly released numbers show that in 2017, 236 mink fur farms existed in the U.S. Five years later, only 110 mink fur farms remained. With the speed of this decline, we believe even more mink farms have closed in the last year.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Update March 21, 2024: The second package of federal funding bills was released today, and we were pleased to see that there is NO funding to expand primate testing infrastructure at the National Institutes of Health in this final bill! We thank everyone who reached out to their elected federal officials about this important issue.