Animals & Politics

Elections  /  Aug 10, 2021

Eric Adams, animal advocate, for New York City mayor

By Brad Pyle

A few weeks ago, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams won the New York City Democratic Mayoral primary race. With an easy path to victory in the general election, and as the top official in America’s most populous city, Adams will be one of the most influential politicians in America. As it happens, New York is home to many animal protection advocates and has long been at the forefront of the animal protection movement. So has Adams, and he has a record to prove it—one that animal protection advocates around the country can celebrate.

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Animals in Research, Equines, Farm Animals, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation  /  Aug 05, 2021

Senate Ag Approps package preserves key gains on horse slaughter, soring, and Animal Welfare Act enforcement

Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced its version of the Fiscal Year 2022 Agriculture Appropriations bill following the House passage of its version last week. The Senate bill and accompanying committee report contain some important highlights for animals, notably for enforcement of laws including the Animal Welfare Act, Horse Protection Act and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.

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Pets & Cruelty, Federal Legislation  /  Aug 04, 2021

What ending the eviction moratorium could mean for families with pets

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Update 8/27/21:  the Supreme Court issued an opinion yesterday ending the CDC order which extended the eviction moratorium in areas of substantial and high transmission of COVID-19 until October 3, 2021. The Humane Society family of organizations remains concerned about what this could mean for millions of Americans and their pets and will continue to urge elected officials to pass immediate measures to keep protections in place for these households.

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Animals in Research, Equines, Farm Animals, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation  /  Jul 29, 2021

U.S. House passes minibus package chock full of animal protection measures

Today’s approval of H.R. 4502, a package of appropriations bills funding key federal agencies, offers dramatic evidence of the success we’ve achieved through our laser-like focus on the federal budgeting process.

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Wildlife, Federal Legislation  /  Jul 29, 2021

Congress raises the ante in the fight against wildlife markets and trafficking

With unprecedented focus on the dangers that wildlife markets and wildlife trafficking pose to human health and animal welfare worldwide, the U.S. House of Representatives upped its ante yesterday by passing an appropriations package with strong language targeting the twinned threats.  

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Farm Animals  /  Jul 28, 2021

Breaking: Judges unanimously reject pork industry challenge to landmark farm animal law

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

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Wildlife  /  Jul 28, 2021

Mink fur production drops to historic all-time low in the US

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases a report on mink fur production, and this year’s report shows a promising outlook for mink, a species that suffers immeasurably for nothing but trim on a jacket, a pom on a hat or purse or eyelash extensions.

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Animals in Research, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation  /  Jul 20, 2021

The House moves to fund more animal protection measures

The U.S. House of Representatives is moving forward on more of the bills funding various federal departments, and we are happy to report there are additional boosts for priority animal protection goals. Last week, the House Appropriations Committee approved bills covering the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Commerce, and Justice, among others.

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Wildlife, Federal Legislation, In the News  /  Jul 13, 2021

The narrative about sharks needs to change—before it’s too late

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

A bad reputation can mean the difference between life and death for animals, and nowhere is this clearer than for sharks. Sharks may be depicted as terrifying animals in films like “Jaws,” but the true tale of horror is how humans have treated shark species for centuries across the world.

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Pets & Cruelty, Federal Legislation  /  Jul 12, 2021

Almost half of puppy mill complaints handled inappropriately, USDA internal audit finds

For the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has released an internal audit of its Animal Care program that licenses and inspects puppy mills that sell to pet stores and online. And the most significant finding is a disturbing one: the auditors found that the program “did not consistently address or adequately document 145 of the 322 complaints we reviewed,” indicating that almost half of the complaints about dog breeders were handled inappropriately, if at all.

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Animals in Research, Equines, Farm Animals, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation  /  Jul 01, 2021

Congressional budget leaders ramp up animal protection funding for FY2022

One of our primary responsibilities as a leading voice for animals in the nation’s capital is to influence congressional deliberations concerning the annual budgets for federal agencies where animal welfare is in play. We’re off to an outstanding start for 2022! This week, the House Appropriations Committee approved a number of our priority requests in its Fiscal Year 2022 bills covering the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, State, Interior and other agencies.

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Wildlife  /  Jul 01, 2021

Has trophy hunting changed since the death of Cecil the lion?

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

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 elephant carcass bait and shot by the hunter with an arrow. After suffering for 10 agonizing hours, Cecil was killed with a gunshot. 

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