Animals & Politics

Pets & Cruelty, In the News  /  Apr 10, 2020

China’s recognition of dogs as companion animals bodes well for its animal welfare future

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

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Wildlife, In the News  /  Apr 09, 2020

BREAKING NEWS: Bipartisan congressional letter calls for end to live wildlife markets

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

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Wildlife, Action Alerts, Federal Legislation  /  Apr 08, 2020

Newly released footage confirms the Joe Exotic we know

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

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Wildlife, In the News  /  Apr 07, 2020

On World Health Day, a global reckoning with COVID-19 is urgent

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Like an alarm bell in the night, COVID-19 has cut through the uneasy silence of the world’s failure to address pandemic illness tied to the trade, transport and consumption of wildlife. The notion that we could have prevented COVID-19 by taking decisive steps to curb that trade a decade or two ago should and will haunt us for generations. Still, it is not too late to act, and it is more urgent than ever that we do so.

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Wildlife, In the News  /  Apr 03, 2020

Breaking news: Fauci calls for closing down wildlife markets around the globe

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

The nation’s most authoritative voice on infectious diseases today sounded a stern warning about the dangers of the wildlife trade and its relationship to pandemic diseases like COVID-19.

In an interview with Fox News, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci called for the global community to pressure China and other nations to close down their wildlife markets, where live animals are sold and slaughtered for food.

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Pets & Cruelty, Federal Legislation, In the News  /  Apr 01, 2020

Coronavirus crisis increases need to help victims of domestic violence and their pets

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

With hundreds of millions of people required to stay indoors during the coronavirus pandemic, the media is reporting an alarming increase in domestic violence incidents the world over. This includes the United States where calls to help lines have jumped dramatically.

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Wildlife, In the News  /  Mar 30, 2020

The killing of Takaya, Canada's famous lone wolf, highlights urgent need to outlaw trophy hunting

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

The killing last week of Takaya, the lone wolf of Canada’s Discovery Island whose story of survival and resilience captivated people around the globe, is a grim reminder of the uphill battle wolves face in the modern world.

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Wildlife, Action Alerts, Film & Television  /  Mar 27, 2020

Netflix's 'Tiger King' is a wake-up call for ending private possession of big cats

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

A decade ago, a Humane Society of the United States's undercover investigation delved into the bizarre world of Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic) and his roadside zoo, GW Exotics. For years, Joe and his band of untrained workers kept hundreds of big cats and other wild animals in captivity in barren conditions, bred them to provide infant animals for public photo shoots and “play time” sessions, and even shot animals dead when they were of no use to him anymore.

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Federal Legislation, In the News  /  Mar 27, 2020

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) passes with potential benefits for animal protection sector

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

The $2 trillion emergency stimulus bill that cleared Congress today carries important prospective benefits for the animal care and services sector. These include a temporary expansion of charitable deduction provisions, opportunities for business continuity loans to cover payroll, paid leave, health-insurance premiums, facilities costs, and debt service, and increased tax incentives for corporate giving.  

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Wildlife, In the News  /  Mar 26, 2020

To prevent another pandemic, global leaders should crack down on wildlife trade

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

At the G20 coronavirus meeting today, global leaders, including President Trump, brainstormed on ways to control the coronavirus pandemic that is now ravaging dozens of nations, leaving a vast trail of human casualties in its wake. But one thing that didn’t come up was the reason why we are in this predicament in the first place: the unchecked trade, transport and consumption of wildlife.

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Wildlife, In the News  /  Mar 26, 2020

In new role at the USFWS, trophy hunters’ lawyer will guide U.S. global policy on wildlife

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

The Trump administration’s course on wildlife policy, riddled with handouts to trophy hunters, took another wrong turn last week with the hiring of Anna Seidman, a litigator for Safari Club International, to head a key office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Elections  /  Mar 23, 2020

Living, and voting, during the coronavirus crisis

Supporters of our work should know that the entire Humane Society Legislative Fund staff has transitioned to remote work. We’re working hard to call attention to the needs of local humane societies and other animal service agencies, and to make federal legislators mindful of the critical role these entities play. And we’re also continuing to advance our regular mission of giving animals the best possible representation in the nation’s capital. 

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