These are the victories that have been won with a little help from a lot of caring folks. These victories are only possible when you vote or sign petitions. See what accomplishments have been made possible to help our precious animals and resources. Thank you for all your determination and commitments.

Victory! Washington University Ends Cruel Cat Lab

• by Alicia Graef  June 4, 2013

Following some heavy campaigning against the practice, Washington University has announced that it will no longer be using cats to teach students in its Pediatrics Advanced Life Support (PALS) course how to perform tracheal intubation.

The procedure, which is intended to teach students how to place a tube down a newborn’s windpipe, involves placing a hard plastic tube down cats’ throats, which can cause them to suffer from a number of issues from bruising, bleeding, swelling and scarring to broken teeth, collapsed lungs, chronic pain and death.

Washington University was believed to be the last school that still used live animals in its PALS course and had continued to justify the practice by saying the cats weren’t harmed and were adopted out after three years of “service,” although no one can verify that claim.


While animal advocates have been campaigning to get the school to stop using cats for years, a recent surge in pressure from different fronts including an undercover investigation by PETA, a letter from Bob Barker criticizing the practice and offering $75,000 to buy state-of-the-art infant simulators, local activists holding weekly protests at the school and almost 18,000 signatures on a petition asking the school to stop using cats may have finally pushed the school make the decision.

According to Alexandria Faye of the St. Louis Alliance for Medical Progress, local animal advocates were mid-protest when students informed them that cats would no longer be used for the course. A spokesman for the St. Louis Children’s hospital, which works in conjunction with Washington University, later confirmed to the Riverfront Times that the PALS course “does not include live-animal training” and that this “is a permanent change to the course.”


Washington University now joins a host of other schools that have given up the cruel and unnecessary practice of using live animals to teach students medical procedures, and will instead use infant simulators that are anatomically correct, can be used repeatedly and do not cause harm to any living being – which are also recommended by the American Heart Association, the organization that sponsors and creates the curriculum for PALS training programs.

As for the fate of the nine cats who were being used in the PALS course, the school is aware of offers from Five Acres Animal Shelter, Sacred Ground Sanctuary and Bob Barker to re-home them, but there has been no official word on what their futures hold yet. For updates, keep an eye on the St. Louis Alliance for Medical Progress’ Facebook page.

U.S. Senate Passes Animal Fighting Amendment | Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics

U.S. Senate Passes Animal Fighting Amendment

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:36 PM PDT

The U.S. Senate tonight voted in favor of an amendment to the Farm Bill, introduced by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., to make it a federal crime to attend a dogfight or cockfight, and a felony to bring a child to an animal fight. The vote was an overwhelming 88 to 11.

This is a great turn of events, as the original animal fighting amendment was not among the list of 73 amendments allowed to be considered during the Senate debate on the Farm Bill. But thankfully, because Sen. Vitter had a previously approved amendment relating to the Animal Welfare Act, it was allowed to be modified to include the animal fighting language as well. 

Forty-nine states (all but Montana) have penalties for animal fighting spectators, who finance the criminal activity with their admission fees and gambling wagers, and provide cover for animal fighters who blend into the crowds during law enforcement raids. It’s time to sync up the federal law with the state laws, and close this remaining gap so that law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to crack down on the entire cast of characters involved in animal fighting.

We are grateful to Sen. Vitter for offering this amendment, and to Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who simply would not take no for an answer on this issue. They received tremendous support and cooperation from Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in getting this done. Special thanks also to Sens. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Scott Brown, R-Mass., who were co-authors of the original legislation, S. 1947, the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act. Kudos to all 88 senators who voted in favor of the measure, including Ranking Member Pat Roberts, R-Kan., who had a big part in letting the amendment proceed.

And thanks go to all the animal advocates who contacted their lawmakers and urged them to support this important anti-cruelty legislation. Read the press release from HSLF and The HSUS for more information.

With thanks for your generous support, I'm pleased to share with you the web version of the Center for Biological Diversity's 2011 Annual Report.

The Center tackled a wide range of challenges in 2011 and made substantial progress on multiple fronts. From saving species to addressing global warming, we put your investment in the Center to work with maximum efficiency -- winning scores of new protections for wildlife and ambitiously engaging global-scale threats like climate change and ocean acidification.

We couldn't do this critical work without your support and activism, so as you enjoy reading about the Center's 2011 accomplishments, please know that you were very much a part of them.

Here are some of our key achievements in 2011:

• We signed the largest agreement in history to speed up protections for 757 animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act.

• We obtained new, final critical habitat protection on more than 2 million acres in Alaska, California and beyond, as well as proposed protected habitat on another 9 million acres -- from Hawaii to Mississippi.

• We helped kill an "extinction rider" that would have done away with funding for new species listings and habitat protection.

• We launched a campaign, 7 Billion and Counting, making a public connection between human overpopulation and species extinction; we gave away 100,000 free Endangered Species Condoms across the country and published a report on the 10 U.S. species most threatened by human population growth.

• We were instrumental in securing from the Obama administration a 20-year ban on new uranium mining across 1 million Grand Canyon acres.

• After 10 years of fighting, we also won new protections for more than 40 threatened and endangered species on four national forests in Southern California.

• Our Climate Law Institute launched an innovative national campaign, Clean Air Cities, that's had stellar success to date in rallying 27 cities across the United States to sign resolutions in support of clean air and a healthy climate.

• In the high-profile fight against the destructive Keystone XL Pipeline, we led a lawsuit to halt illegal construction along a 100-mile corridor of Nebraska.

• In our toxics work, we filed to protect more than 200 species from hundreds of pesticides -- the most comprehensive legal action ever brought under the Endangered Species Act.

• In our creative media and outreach work, we helped supporters take 1.3 million online actions to save wildlife and wild places; we launched our new Species Finder Android app, containing instantly accessible information on more than 1,000 imperiled plants and animals.

Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity

Victory! Cincinnati Repeals Breed Ban

Victory! Cincinnati Repeals Breed Ban

Dog lovers and animal advocates finally saw a victory yesterday when the Cincinnati City Council in Ohio voted 8-1 to repeal language in the city’s vicious dog ordinance that made owning a pit bull within city limits illegal.

“It’s fantastic. It’s been a long effort, but we’ve had some great supporters from all across the country … that’s had an overwhelming affect on Council. Dog owners, of pit bulls or not, have flooded Council with requests to change the law,” said Jim Tomaszewski, SPCA Cincinnati trustee and lobbyist for the removal of the city’s BSL.

The ban had been in effect since 2003 under the guise of public safety and was kept despite an amendment to state laws last February that changed the definition of vicious dogs so that they would no no longer be defined solely based on looks.

Fortunately, advocates kept fighting for the repeal arguing that it was wasting law enforcement’s time, along with a lot of taxpayer money spent on supporting confiscated dogs while their cases were pending and prosecuting the few people who kept pit bulls, in addition to the fact that it adversely affects good dogs and responsible owners.

A Task Force for the Humane Treatment of Animals will also be created to crack down on animal abusers and promote humane care.

 by Alicia Graef

Written by PETA

After thousands of e-mails, hundreds of phone calls, and a PETA "monkey" paying a visit to China Southern Airlines' L.A. office, the airline—which is the largest in China—has made the compassionate decision to cancel its plans to ship 80 monkeys from China to the U.S., where they were going to end up in the hands of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories (SNBL) and Harlan Laboratories and be tormented in cruel experiments.

RedCoat

Now, we're urging China Southern Airlines officials to join with many other major airlines, including Delta, American, United, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic, and refuse to transport primates to laboratories ever again. You can also write to them here. We'll keep you posted!  Written by Michelle Sherrow

http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2011/08/13/victory-eighty-monkeys-saved-from-laboratory.aspx

Animal Rights Activist Gets $15,000 Settlement

• by Alicia Graef
• January 30, 2012
• 11:08 pm

 

Ireland Bans Puppy Mills 

Victories in 2011, Campaigns for 2012

With your help and your support, the Center for Biological Diversity achieved major successes in 2011 despite a hostile Congress, a bad economy and, frankly, lackluster White House leadership on wildlife protection, climate change and other crucial environmental issues. Our victories included a massive settlement to push 757 species closer to Endangered Species Act protection, a 20-year ban on new uranium mining around the Grand Canyon and the protection of 6 million acres of federally protected habitat for species around the country. Without you behind us, we truly couldn't have done any of that -- so many, many thanks.

And here's to making 2012 yet another high-impact year. Together, we can save hundreds of species and their habitats and push the planet toward rapid, rational action on global warming. Below is a brief list of the Center's 2012 priorities.

1. Our mission.  We help animals, advance science, and teach kids (of all ages) to conserve our precious ocean resources.  It's important and compelling work, and your support allows us to continue.
2. Our programs.  In 2011, we cared for 23 endangered non-marine turtles. We submitted three scientific papers which are now in review.  We reached over 7,937 children and adults this year through our education programs - a new record!  We welcomed over 6,430 people to our Marine Animal Discovery Center.  We provided real-world, hands-on learning experiences to 8 student interns from as far away as Nebraska and as close as Buzzards Bay.  Through our programs, we are investing in the future.  You can invest in the future, too.
3. Our volunteers.  Dedicated individuals from all walks of life care about marine animals, science, and education, and work with us to make a difference.  You can make a difference, too.
4. Our new hospital.  The first patient ward in our new marine animal hospital is approved and open for sea turtles.  We are working on approval to also rehabilitate seals.  And, we continue to fundraise to add capacity including dolphin pools.  You can help us build.
5. Our supporters.  You visited.  You got involved.  You joined the conversation.  You gave.  This is your Center, and these are your accomplishments.

The 2011 Congressional Year in Review for Animals | Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics

The 2011 Congressional Year in Review for Animals

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 11:43 AM PST

As the first year of the 112^th Congress draws to a close, the Humane Society Legislative Fund takes stock of how animal protection fared in 2011. Despite congressional gridlock, budget standoffs, and deepening partisan divides, we were able to win some important victories for animals, set the stage for further progress in 2012, and demonstrate again that animal welfare is a core American value. We will soon publish our final 2011 Humane Scorecard, which rates members of Congress on their individual performance, but today I will provide a round-up of the year’s achievements, setbacks, and work that lies ahead.

Achievements

It was undoubtedly a very tough budget climate to seek funding increases, with many lawmakers focused on deficit reduction this year. Nevertheless, thanks to a concerted lobbying push by The HSUS and HSLF and our supporters, Congress approved some record-level boosts for key animal welfare programs in fiscal year 2012:

• Almost a 20 percent jump (more than $5 million increase) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual budget to strengthen inspections and enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act at about 12,000 sites, including puppy mills, laboratories, zoos, circuses, and other facilities. This is on top of $4 million in reprogrammed FY 2011 funds approved in October by Agriculture Appropriations leaders—Reps. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., and Sam Farr, D-Calif., and Sens. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo.—specifically to improve oversight at puppy mills. A bipartisan group of 125 representatives and 34 senators—led by Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and David Vitter, R-La.—joined in seeking the FY 2012 boost for the Animal Welfare Act, along with funding for other key animal welfare programs. 
• A nearly 40 percent jump ($196,000 increase) for USDA’s enforcement of the Horse Protection Act, which had been stuck at the woefully inadequate ceiling of $500,000 since 1976. These funds will help USDA crack down on the cruel and illegal practice of “soring” show horses, the intentional use of caustic chemicals and sharp objects on horses’ hooves and legs to make it painful for them to step down and give them an artificial, high-stepping gait in show competitions—in other words, deliberate infliction of severe pain in order to cheat and win prizes. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Reps. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., and Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., championed this funding request.
• A 17 percent jump ($2.32 million increase) for USDA’s Investigative and Enforcement Services, which does follow-up work on a range of cases including those under the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act. All of the FY 2012 increase is dedicated for animal welfare activities.
• Maintaining $4.8 million (same as last year) for the veterinary student loan forgiveness program that helps ease the shortage of veterinarians practicing in rural areas and in government positions (such as those overseeing humane slaughter and Animal Welfare Act rules), by forgiving student debt for those who choose to practice in one of those underserved areas.
• At least $20 million to help ensure implementation of labor and environmental provisions—including for wildlife protection programs—under free trade agreements with countries of Central America, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. 
• Thanks to the work of the Center for Biological Diversity and others, $4 million to study and combat white-nose syndrome, a lethal disease that has had a devastating impact on millions of bats in North America.
• In addition to funding animal welfare programs, the appropriations committees also included helpful report language directing the federal agencies and expressing concern about a number of important issues: 
  • Humane Slaughter—directing USDA to ensure that funds intended to strengthen oversight of humane handling rules are being used that way.
  • Animal Fighting—expressing strong concern and urging USDA to work with relevant agencies to investigate and enforce laws against dogfighting and cockfighting.
  • Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture—urging the Food and Drug Administration to take several specific actions to move forward on addressing the overuse of antibiotics in livestock for non-therapeutic purposes, a common practice on factory farms. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., led efforts on this. 
  • Pet Theft for Research—directing the National Institutes of Health to expedite its phase-out of Class B dealer-acquired dogs and cats in research (such dealers obtain animals through random sources, which can include theft of family pets and fraudulent response to “free to good home” ads). Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, played the key role on this.
  • Alternatives Development—requiring the NIH to prioritize funding for transition to computational, molecular and other non-animal tests for chemical risk assessment and drug testing, and report to Congress on progress; also requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to move to computational toxicology and other non-animal testing for the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., and Sen. Harkin championed these efforts.

And there were other bright spots for animal protection in 2011:

• As part of the final funding bill for USDA, Congress agreed to prohibit agribusiness subsidy direct payments to millionaires (individuals or legal entities with an average Adjusted Gross Income in excess of $1 million). Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., offered an amendment that was approved by an overwhelming 84-15 vote and then incorporated into the House-Senate conference package. Earlier in the year, similar amendments were offered in the House by Reps. Blumenauer and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.—those were defeated, but helped build momentum for this effort. Massive factory farms, which thrive on taxpayer giveaways that keep animal feed artificially cheap, jeopardize public health, the environment and animal welfare, while also driving smaller and more humane, sustainable family farms out of business. We hope Congress will enact further reforms to end wasteful handouts that support factory farms.
• An anti-wildlife rider in the committee bill funding the Interior Department was removed, thanks to an amendment offered on the floor by Reps. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., Mike Thompson, D-Calif., Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii, which was approved by a vote of 224-202 in July. The “extinction rider” would have prevented the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing some of the most crucial sections of the Endangered Species Act, such as protecting any new species and designating critical habitat for currently listed species.
• The final funding bill for the Interior Department contained a good provision barring the Bureau of Land Management from killing healthy, unadopted wild horses and burros or selling them for slaughter, as in past years.
• The Senate’s Defense Department authorization bill would have inadvertently eliminated a prohibition in the Uniform Code of Military Justice against acts of bestiality by service members, as the Senate dealt with the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. After we contacted the key members of the House-Senate conference committee, the conferees restored the ban on bestiality.
• The Army agreed to halt testing on monkeys of nerve agents meant to simulate a nerve gas attack, as urged by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md.

The 2011 Congressional Year in Review for Animals | Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics

The 2011 Congressional Year in Review for Animals

Posted: 28 Dec 2011 11:43 AM PST

As the first year of the 112^th Congress draws to a close, the Humane Society Legislative Fund takes stock of how animal protection fared in 2011. Despite congressional gridlock, budget standoffs, and deepening partisan divides, we were able to win some important victories for animals, set the stage for further progress in 2012, and demonstrate again that animal welfare is a core American value. We will soon publish our final 2011 Humane Scorecard, which rates members of Congress on their individual performance, but today I will provide a round-up of the year’s achievements, setbacks, and work that lies ahead.

Achievements

It was undoubtedly a very tough budget climate to seek funding increases, with many lawmakers focused on deficit reduction this year. Nevertheless, thanks to a concerted lobbying push by The HSUS and HSLF and our supporters, Congress approved some record-level boosts for key animal welfare programs in fiscal year 2012:

• Almost a 20 percent jump (more than $5 million increase) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual budget to strengthen inspections and enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act at about 12,000 sites, including puppy mills, laboratories, zoos, circuses, and other facilities. This is on top of $4 million in reprogrammed FY 2011 funds approved in October by Agriculture Appropriations leaders—Reps. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., and Sam Farr, D-Calif., and Sens. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo.—specifically to improve oversight at puppy mills. A bipartisan group of 125 representatives and 34 senators—led by Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and David Vitter, R-La.—joined in seeking the FY 2012 boost for the Animal Welfare Act, along with funding for other key animal welfare programs. 
• A nearly 40 percent jump ($196,000 increase) for USDA’s enforcement of the Horse Protection Act, which had been stuck at the woefully inadequate ceiling of $500,000 since 1976. These funds will help USDA crack down on the cruel and illegal practice of “soring” show horses, the intentional use of caustic chemicals and sharp objects on horses’ hooves and legs to make it painful for them to step down and give them an artificial, high-stepping gait in show competitions—in other words, deliberate infliction of severe pain in order to cheat and win prizes. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Reps. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., and Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., championed this funding request.
• A 17 percent jump ($2.32 million increase) for USDA’s Investigative and Enforcement Services, which does follow-up work on a range of cases including those under the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act. All of the FY 2012 increase is dedicated for animal welfare activities.
• Maintaining $4.8 million (same as last year) for the veterinary student loan forgiveness program that helps ease the shortage of veterinarians practicing in rural areas and in government positions (such as those overseeing humane slaughter and Animal Welfare Act rules), by forgiving student debt for those who choose to practice in one of those underserved areas.
• At least $20 million to help ensure implementation of labor and environmental provisions—including for wildlife protection programs—under free trade agreements with countries of Central America, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. 
• Thanks to the work of the Center for Biological Diversity and others, $4 million to study and combat white-nose syndrome, a lethal disease that has had a devastating impact on millions of bats in North America.
• In addition to funding animal welfare programs, the appropriations committees also included helpful report language directing the federal agencies and expressing concern about a number of important issues: 
  • Humane Slaughter—directing USDA to ensure that funds intended to strengthen oversight of humane handling rules are being used that way.
  • Animal Fighting—expressing strong concern and urging USDA to work with relevant agencies to investigate and enforce laws against dogfighting and cockfighting.
  • Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture—urging the Food and Drug Administration to take several specific actions to move forward on addressing the overuse of antibiotics in livestock for non-therapeutic purposes, a common practice on factory farms. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., led efforts on this. 
  • Pet Theft for Research—directing the National Institutes of Health to expedite its phase-out of Class B dealer-acquired dogs and cats in research (such dealers obtain animals through random sources, which can include theft of family pets and fraudulent response to “free to good home” ads). Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, played the key role on this.
  • Alternatives Development—requiring the NIH to prioritize funding for transition to computational, molecular and other non-animal tests for chemical risk assessment and drug testing, and report to Congress on progress; also requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to move to computational toxicology and other non-animal testing for the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., and Sen. Harkin championed these efforts.

And there were other bright spots for animal protection in 2011:

• As part of the final funding bill for USDA, Congress agreed to prohibit agribusiness subsidy direct payments to millionaires (individuals or legal entities with an average Adjusted Gross Income in excess of $1 million). Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., offered an amendment that was approved by an overwhelming 84-15 vote and then incorporated into the House-Senate conference package. Earlier in the year, similar amendments were offered in the House by Reps. Blumenauer and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.—those were defeated, but helped build momentum for this effort. Massive factory farms, which thrive on taxpayer giveaways that keep animal feed artificially cheap, jeopardize public health, the environment and animal welfare, while also driving smaller and more humane, sustainable family farms out of business. We hope Congress will enact further reforms to end wasteful handouts that support factory farms.
• An anti-wildlife rider in the committee bill funding the Interior Department was removed, thanks to an amendment offered on the floor by Reps. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., Mike Thompson, D-Calif., Mike Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Colleen Hanabusa, D-Hawaii, which was approved by a vote of 224-202 in July. The “extinction rider” would have prevented the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing some of the most crucial sections of the Endangered Species Act, such as protecting any new species and designating critical habitat for currently listed species.
• The final funding bill for the Interior Department contained a good provision barring the Bureau of Land Management from killing healthy, unadopted wild horses and burros or selling them for slaughter, as in past years.
• The Senate’s Defense Department authorization bill would have inadvertently eliminated a prohibition in the Uniform Code of Military Justice against acts of bestiality by service members, as the Senate dealt with the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. After we contacted the key members of the House-Senate conference committee, the conferees restored the ban on bestiality.
• The Army agreed to halt testing on monkeys of nerve agents meant to simulate a nerve gas attack, as urged by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md.

Thanks to the dedication and generosity of compassionate animal lovers like you, WSPA provided life-saving care, relief and an end to cruelty to hundreds of thousands of animals in need in 2011.

As a token of our deep appreciation of your support, we have created a special 2011 achievements video to share how your generous donations have enabled WSPA to carry on its life-saving work. Together, we have helped animals around the world, from rescuing bear cubs in India, to providing shelter to nearly 1,000 pets affected by the devastating earthquake in Japan, to successfully convincing President Obama to impose diplomatic measures to hold Iceland accountable for its cruel and unnecessary whaling activities.

But there are still so many animals that may not have a Happy New Year. Please make your special year-end gift to bring hope to these animals in 2012. And remember, your gift to WSPA is fully tax-deductible, which means this is also your last chance to claim a tax break for 2011. So please hurry and make your gift today!

I want to thank you again for your continued generosity and support of WSPA’s work for animals. Together, we can create a world where no animals suffer.

Best wishes,

Silia Smith
Interim Executive Director, WSPA

10 Victories For Nature In 2011 – Slideshow

2.  The Environmental Protection Agency announced new protections from mercury pollution from power plants in December.

3. In October, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 376, meaning the sale, possession or distribution of shark fins is banned in California.

4.  In Alabama, volunteers worked to restore an oyster reef, bringing back coastal habitat along the Gulf of Mexico, including coastal marsh seagrass, and numerous species of birds and fish.

5.  The protection of more than 189,000 acres of Minnesota’s national forests, largely located in the watershed of the Upper Mississippi River, means that drinking water for millions of people will be safe.

6.  The Marshall Islands became home to the world’s largest shark sanctuary, an area of the Pacific Ocean four times the size of California.

7.  In Costa Rica, two million acres were added to Cocos Island National Park, creating Costa Rica’s largest marine protected area.

8.  In Kenya, the Nature Conservancy joined with local partners to create a traditional elephant migration route that had been obstructed by agricultural fences and roads.

9.  Australia’s Queensland government took steps to protect one of the world’s last great natural wetlands. Under the Wild Rivers Act, the Cooper’s Creek, Georgina, and Diamantina rivers, whose irregular flooding transforms thousands of square miles of dry outback, will be permanently safeguarded.

10.  ICCAT, the international body that manages the $1 billion bluefin tuna fishery in the Atlantic Ocean, established an electronic system to better track where the fish are caught and traded.

We've had some marvelous successes in December so far! You really helped make things happen.

Thank you for for being a part of the Care2 community! You can share your own success stories with us by emailing successstories@earth.care2.com.

Happy Holidays! Ellyn S. Care2 Campaigns Team ThePetitionSite.com

Victories For Animals In 2011

• by Sharon Seltzer December 22, 2011

 

Victory! Russia Bans Harp Seal Imports

• by Alicia Graef December 2011

 

There's huge news today out of Alaska: A federal judge just rejected the state's attempts to deny Endangered Species Act protection for Cook Inlet beluga whales. Today's ruling is a major victory in our decade-long battle to protect the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale, one of Alaska's most imperiled species whose population plummeted from 1,300 in the 1970s to only just 300 to 400 today.

Thank you. Belugas wouldn't be getting the protections they need and deserve without your help and support over the last 12 years and the major push this year to stop Alaska's latest attacks. This win is the latest chapter in a long-term fight for the survival of belugas -- and it's far from over.  The Center for Biological Diversity first petitioned to protect Cook Inlet beluga whales under the Endangered Species Act in 1999. The whale population faced a long list of powerful threats, including oil and gas development and pollution from Anchorage, the fastest-growing watershed in Alaska.

We finally won Endangered Species Act protections for Cook Inlet belugas in 2008, and in early 2011, our long-running efforts secured protection for nearly 2 million acres of their habitat. But shortly after belugas were listed in 2008, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced politically motivated plans to sue over the listing, which sparked the lawsuit under Gov. Sean Parnell -- the lawsuit that we defeated today. The Center and allies fought back Palin's suit in court and, today, the judge rejected the state's arguments, saying the Fisheries Service's decision to protect the belugas was based on the best available science.

I'm proud to say that the dedication and support of our members and staff brought about this critical win for the whales, and I want to share today's victory with you. For now, thanks to your efforts, Cook Inlet beluga whales will continue to get the protections they desperately need and that the Center has fought so long and so hard to secure.

Please share this win with your friends and post on Facebook. Here's to a future for beluga whales that's safe, secure and long-lasting.

Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity

P.S. Even as we celebrate today's win, we can't let our guard down. Alaska's beluga population still faces a long list of threats, including offshore oil development in its habitat and a state government that remains hostile to its survival. The Center will keep you updated on our work to save these belugas and let you know about any new attacks.

Minibus Drives Forward for Animal Welfare Funding, Backward for Horse Slaughter | Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics

Minibus Drives Forward for Animal Welfare Funding, Backward for Horse Slaughter

Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:34 PM PST

A conference committee has finished its work on the “minibus,” a combination of three out of the twelve appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2012, covering departments including agriculture, commerce, and transportation. The final package, which also includes a continuing resolution to keep the rest of the federal government operating through mid-December, will now go to the House and the Senate for an up or down vote this week, with no opportunity for amendments. Some of the news is quite good for animal welfare, with remarkable breakthroughs on key issues, and other news is terribly disappointing.

First, the bad news: The committee stripped the House-approved language prohibiting the use of U.S. Department of Agriculture funds for horse slaughter inspections, a defunding provision which had been in every agriculture spending bill since 2005. It reverses six years of U.S. policy against subsidizing foreign-owned horse slaughter plants, and it could pave the way for the resumption of equine abattoirs here on American soil. That change might take some time, since the states would have to allow horse slaughter plants, and there would undoubtedly be court challenges. But it’s extremely disappointing that the committee took this step backward for America’s iconic horses, and is willing to waste tax dollars on the cruel horse slaughter industry.

Americans don’t eat horses, and they don’t want them inhumanely killed, shrink-wrapped, and sent to Japan or Belgium for a high-priced appetizer. Horse slaughter lobbyists have been using a recent Government Accountability Office report to argue for the resumed use of tax dollars to produce horse meat for foreign gourmands, but the report is much more nuanced than they claim: One of the GAO’s recommendations is to ban the export of American horses for slaughter in Canada and Mexico. That’s exactly what we must do, and animal advocates must now redouble our efforts to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, S. 1176 and H.R. 2966, to finally stop American horses from ending up on foreign dinner plates.

There was, however, great news for horses also contained in the committee’s bill: Congress is poised to increase funding for enforcement of the decades-old Horse Protection Act, which has been stuck at the woefully inadequate ceiling of $500,000 since 1976. The minibus provides $696,000 for the Horse Protection Act—almost a 40% jump, and a very important signal that USDA needs additional resources to step up its enforcement of this federal law against widespread cruelty to show horses. (The conferees split the difference, since the Senate bill had $891,000 and the House bill had $500,000). The Horse Protection Act combats the criminal act of “soring” horses, the intentional use of caustic chemicals and sharp objects on horses’ hooves and legs to make it painful for them to step down and give them an artificial, high-stepping gait in show competitions—in other words, deliberate, illegal infliction of severe pain in order to cheat and win prizes.

In fact, in a very tough budget climate, with so many lawmakers focused on deficit reduction this year, we fought hard to keep funding levels strong for a range of animal welfare programs. The HSUS and HSLF worked with Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and David Vitter, R-La., and Reps. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., to mobilize a sign-on letter, and won the bipartisan support of 125 representatives and 34 senators requesting modest funding levels that are critically needed to implement and enforce the Animal Welfare Act, the Horse Protection Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, the federal animal fighting law, and programs to help prepare for the needs of animals in disasters and to address the shortage of veterinarians in rural and inner-city areas and public health practice. We also worked with Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Reps. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., Phil Roe, R-Tenn., and Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., to push specifically for the increased funding to crack down on horse soring.

Why This Is Important

Dogs, pigs and monkeys at GHMC Pounds(Hyderabad) survive in skanky & miserable conditions everyday. These conditions are unacceptabllly brutal, cruel & inhumane, we need to put stop to this cruelty. 

These pounds house dogs, pigs & monkeys with inadequate and unhygienic food and water for example  dogs kept in thick wired cages that are painful for them to stand on. There have also  been reports that monkeys which should be released back in the forest for rehabilitation are kept crammed in cages for days. Most of these monkeys are starved, fall ill or are dead before they can be released.

There are many instances where, dogs with infectious diseases are kept in the same cages as healthy ones, exposing them to the infection as well. Sterilizations are carried out with unsterile medical equipment and surgical incisions are stitched back improperly, since most of the vets aren’t fully trained to neuter the dogs.

The law states that these dogs should be neutered under ABC (Animal Birth Control) Program, vaccinated and released at the same place where they are caught. No dog can be killed, dislocated or removed from its original habitat.Dogs should not be confined in the facilities for more than a few days.Large cages and clean facilities should be used, with sufficient food and water should be provided to each dog. Puppies, lactating mothers, and neutered dogs cannot be picked up. Dogs should be captured humanely under the prescribed norms. GHMC pounds are not following these laws and are responsible for many stray atrocities and deaths , this needs to be stopped.Please sign this petition and push the concerned officials and organisations to restructure these pounds.

The city has become infamous for the most blatant corruption, cruelty and the he neglect of stray animals in the city.There are 05 dog pounds which are poorly managed by GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation,) in Hyderabad city located in Amberpet, Authttp://sitebuilder.yola.com/en_US/ide/index.jsp?siteid=8a49866a23f6d3970123f6f7f37901a6#onagar, Jeedimatla, Patancheruvu and Zumerath Bazaar. Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO), Dr. P.Venkateswara Reddy is responsible for functioning of these. Recent photographic evidence proves that despite several petitions and campaigns by animal welfare groups in the country as well as around the world, as well as a written notice by the AWBI, the issue still seems to be to be overlooked by the City officials and organisations.

 GHMC Pounds (Hyderabad) need restructuring!

All updates and photographs on the Hyderabad situation can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/ButcherofHyderabad?sk=wall

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  Yellowstone bison may find new tribal homes

Relocation plan could help Montana tribes restore conservation herds

HELENA, Mont. (September 15, 2011) - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) released today a draft plan for relocating about 150 long-quarantined, disease-free Yellowstone bison. If approved, the genetically-important bison would be moved later this year from quarantine facilities near the park to four interim sites in Montana: two state wildlife management areas and two Native American reservations. The moves are an interim step pending the development of a statewide bison conservation strategy.

The following is a statement from Jonathan Proctor, Rocky Mountain representative for Defenders of Wildlife:

“It’s great to see that Montana intends to work with the tribes of Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Reservations to bring some of America’s most genetically important bison back to tribal lands where they once thrived. Bison belong there.”

“Restoring herds of Yellowstone bison to tribal lands and other natural areas is a critical step in overall bison conservation. These tribes are willing and ready to accommodate these bison, providing a unique conservation model for future efforts to conserve this iconic species. Wild bison should be an integral part of America’s future, not just a relic of our past.”

California Shark Fin Ban Becomes Law

After months of campaigning, conservationists scored a huge victory. Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 376, the California shark fin ban, into law! Beginning in 2012, the sale, distribution, and possession of shark fins will be illegal in California. With about 85 percent of U.S. shark fin consumption occurring in California, this legislation will go a long way in conserving threatened sharks and global oceans. The move came after nearly 28,000 people signed the Asian Pacific American Ocean Harmony Alliance's petition on Change.org.

Why this is Important

Join Project Coyote and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI)  in urging the City of Calabasas, California to make permanent its temporary ban on indiscriminate coyote killing

After public outcry against the indiscriminate and cruel trapping and killing of coyotes in the City by a county trapper, the City temporarily suspended the killing pending further review.

The City is currently reviewing the issue and will submit a recommended course of action to the Calabasas City Council on Oct. 5th. This will be posted on the City's website on Oct. 5th for public review. There will be a public hearing on the issue on October 12th and the City Council will vote on the issue that evening. Check here (after Oct. 5th) for more information about the hearing and to see a copy of the proposed plan.

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED!  Please sign this petition and submit comments  to the City Council via the City Clerk by email- gpeirce@cityofcalabasas.com

TALKING POINTS (please be respectful and personalize your message): 

*Commend the City of Calabasas for its decision to stop spending tax dollars on coyote trapping and killing and urge the City Council to make the temporary moratorium permanent.

* Indiscriminate trapping of coyotes is not an effective or humane solution to reduce real or perceived conflicts between people, coyotes, and domestic animals. Coyotes are here to stay. We must learn to coexist. Education is the key.

 *There are many effective non-lethal methods for reducing negative encounters between people, coyotes, and domestic animals. More info. here.

*Coyotes play an important role in keeping rodent populations in check and ecosystems clean of carrion (dead things). Coyotes also help to limit mescarnivoress (e.g. foxes, skunks) thereby helping boost bird population and diversity.

*We're here to help. Encourage the City of Calabasas to work with Project Coyote and AWI in adopting and implementing an ecologically and ethically sound long-term coyote coexistence plan that emphasizes public education, reducing coyote/wildlife attractants, and hazing of habituated coyotes.

Remember to include your name, address, and email when submitting public comments so that your comments will be counted in the official record!

Thank you for writing on behalf of America’s Native Song Dog!

Read more here: http://www.change.org/petitions/help-stop-indiscriminate-coyote-killing-in-calabasas-ca

Coyotes Seen as Friends, Not Enemies

Coyote Traps in Urban Area Cause Concern

UPDATE 04/07/11: The government-appointed task force has submitted recommendations that align with our requests to reform B.C.'s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Premier Clark has stated that the government will act on every recommendation, giving B.C. the strongest anti-cruelty laws in Canada. Now is the time to keep the pressure on to make sure the recommendations are enacted.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act is overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture and is an alarmingly ambiguous piece of legislation.  Some of the law dates back over 100 years.  Dogs and cats are defined strictly as property and there is no regulation in the act addressing businesses that work with animals such as sled dog companies. Without this regulation, a place of business cannot be shut down for acts of cruelty against animals.  This legislation is clearly in place only to protect the rights of owners with “animal property”, not the rights of animals.

A recent article by the Vancouver Sun revealed that the Howling Dog Tours manager who killed the dogs tried to contact the BC SPCA for help on two occasions.  The BC SPCA didn’t investigate the business and turned down the request to shelter the dogs, claiming the dogs were not adoptable.  

Endangered Earth: Victory for Birds, Win Against Dirty Coal

No. 578, August 18, 2011 2,000+ Stream Miles to Be Protected for Southwest Songbird Six Foreign Birds Earn Safeguards International Protections Sought for 20 Turtles Victory Over Dirty Energy: Massive Coal Plant Halted Suit Filed to Protect Climate From Biomass Burners New Website, Op-ed Speak Out on Climate Change: It's Here Now Safeguards in Sight for Rare Southwest Springsnail Grand Goal Reached for Grand Canyon -- Thank You Center Lawyer Leads Deaf Swim Team to World Championship Win Wild & Weird: Beluga Whale Digs Mariachi Music -- Watch Video Donate today to support the Center's work. Take action now.   2,000+ Stream Miles to Be Protected for Southwest Songbird More than 2,000 miles of Southwest streams will be designated as "critical habitat" for the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher. The announcement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service came in response to a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity. If finalized, the designation would be a big improvement on the 730 stream miles set aside by the Bush administration in 2005. The Center has been working for southwestern willow flycatchers for two decades; we petitioned to protect them back in 1992. The small, quick-moving neotropical songbird is native to Southwest streamside habitats and endangered by development, water projects, climate change, grazing and many other threats. Read more in the San Jose Mercury News.

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Victory! New York and Iowa Ag Gag Bills Die

Following failure in Florida and Minnesota, the New York and Iowa state legislative sessions have come to a close without the passage of their Ag Gag bills. which would have criminalized undercover investigations of farms. These bills, which were openly promoted by agribusiness, would have silenced whistle blowers and made it illegal for anyone to take or possess photos or video on farms, while agribusinesses would have been left unaccountable. Iowa’s bill died, ironically, right on the heels of yet another undercover investigation released by Mercy for Animals of Iowa Select Farms in Kamrar, Iowa, the fourth largest pork producer in the U.S.

Those who can stomach going undercover to document the cruelty that Big Ag would happily keep contained behind closed doors have exposed cruel treatment, which has lead to criminal charges being filed, in addition to new regulations being put in place. These investigations also provide an opportunity for the public to make informed choices about what they consume, along with providing people with the ability to make decisions about acceptable standard industry practices and reform of animal cruelty laws. While it’s a victory for animals and the First Amendment now, there is a chance they could be brought back next year.

Dear J,

I've got great news for polar bears: A federal judge just ruled that polar bears must stay protected under the Endangered Species Act.

This ruling is a huge win for our long-running work to protect these mighty Arctic bears who are struggling to survive while facing rapidly melting sea ice and oil companies that want to drill in the heart of their habitat.

We wouldn't have won this critical victory without the tens of thousands of actions you've taken and the support you've given us over the years to keep fighting in court for the majestic white bear -- thank you.

Since 2005, when the Center for Biological Diversity authored the federal petition to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act, we've led the fight to keep the bears from extinction.

When our efforts finally paid off in 2008 and the Center and allies won a “threatened” listing for polar bears, we knew it was going to be a long fight to fully protect the bears and their habitat.

And when the state of Alaska, big-game hunters and others went to court this year to try to strip Endangered Species Act protections from polar bears, we knew we had to put everything we had into the fight. Our expert attorneys rose to the polar bear's defense in court, outlining the urgent protections needed to save them from the terrible effects of global warming.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan rejected Alaska's arguments and said the decision to protect bears because of melting Arctic sea ice was well supported. He also noted the plight of the polar bear was “troubling.”

Even as we take a moment with you to celebrate the court decision, we know our work is far from over. Scientists tell us that, left unchecked, warming could melt so much sea ice that two-thirds of the world's polar bears, including all those in Alaska, will probably be gone in 40 years.

The Center is looking ahead to another pending court decision on our challenge to a Bush administration rule that exempted greenhouse gases from being addressed as part of the plan to protect polar bears. 

As always, we'll keep you updated on our efforts to secure the lasting survival of polar bears and count on your help to take action when we need it.

Thank you again for the part you played in helping secure this win for polar bears. We couldn't have done it without you.

For the bears,

Kierán Suckling Executive Director Center for Biological Diversity

Victory: Texas Gets Its First Puppy Mill Law!

On Friday, June 17, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law the Commercial Dog and Cat Breeders Act (CDCBA), which establishes minimum standards for the humane handling, care, housing and transportation of dogs and cats kept by large-scale Texas breeders. Texas’s commercial dog and cat breeders have always operated free of state oversight, meaning the animals at most of these facilities are unprotected.

Lack of state inspections meant that Texas was becoming a haven for bad breeders—but once the new law goes into effect this September, many commercial breeding facilities will have to open their doors to inspectors for the first time. The new law applies to cat and dog breeders who maintain 11 or more female breeding animals and sell 20 or more animals per year. It requires that breeders be inspected and that enclosures have adequate drainage, are made out of safe materials and have adequate space for animals to comfortably stand, sit, turn around and lie down in a natural position.

“As evidenced by their strong support of the Commercial Dog and Cat Breeders Act, Texans truly care about their pets,” says Jill Buckley, ASPCA Senior Director of Government Relations. “Texas was one of the last states without a law concerning commercial breeding operations; this bill marks a new era in the Lone Star State.”

The final version of the law did not include all the humane provisions we had worked for—namely, language to prohibit wire flooring and the stacking of cages was removed. However, the new law is a very important first step, and the ASPCA will continue to work with legislative leaders to address the problems associated with wire flooring and the stacking of cages in puppy mills.

For more information on the ASPCA’s efforts to fight puppy mill cruelty nationwide, please visit www.aspca.org/puppymills.   http://www.aspca.org/News/National/National-News-Detail.aspx?NDate=20110624&NType=National#News5

‘Puppy mill’ bill passes Senate in Texas

Photo by Nolan Hicks, Houston Chronicle

A dogged Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, shepherded the so-called “puppy mill” bill through the Senate late Monday evening. The bill was approved by a vote of 22-9 and because of Senate amendments must return to the House for another vote. The legislation, House Bill 1451, is most closely identified with state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, who got it through the House despite vocal opposition from breeders complaining that the bill was an unnecessary intrusion by the state into private business. Some opponents complained that the animal rights organization PETA was behind the legislation.

The bill would provide statewide standards for the care and comfort of animals in breeding facilities. Animal rights activists contend that the lack of such standards has led to the abuse of animals in breeding facilities. Whitmire’s version of the bill narrowed the scope of the original legislation. Thompson’s bill would regulate breeders who handled 11 intact female dogs or cats; the committee substitute would regulate dog or cat breeders who sell or exchange at least 20 animals a year. Breeders of hunting dogs, bird dogs, herding dogs, show dogs, racing dogs and animals regulated by other statutes would be exempted. The bill also would require an annual veterinary examination for commercial breeding dogs.

Its purpose, Whitmire said, is not to over-regulate legitimate breeders, but “to get to those that are operating very unscrupulous and unhealthy — not only to animals but to the public — true puppy mills. . . .”

To read more: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/texas-politics/2011/05/%E2%80%98puppy-mill%E2%80%99-bill-passes-senate/

Los Angeles Moves To Ban Factory-Bred Pet Sales

Updated: Tuesday, 07 Jun 2011, 2:23 PM PDT

Los Angeles - The City Council today instructed the Department of Animal Services to draft a law banning the commercial breeding of dogs, cats, rabbits and chickens in Los Angeles and the sale of factory-bred animals in pet stores.  The motion, which was introduced by City Councilman Paul Koretz and was approved unanimously, also asks the department to arrange frequent adoption drives for shelter animals at licensed pet stores.  Koretz called the measure a win-win for the city.  "It will help us reduce our pet over-population problem, and it will save us a significant amount of money," he said.  Koretz said he unknowingly purchased a "puppy mill" bichon 20 years ago, and it required expensive medical care.  "This is frequently the case because these animals are inbred and raised in terrible conditions, and that results in medical problems, behavioral problems ... often that leads to those animals winding up in our animal shelters," he said.  The Department of Animal Services took in about 55,000 animals last year and expects that number to rise this year. It euthanizes about 25 percent of dogs and 50 percent of cats that wind up in shelters.  "We're not only protecting the animals, but we're protecting the people in the community, the people who don't know that when they go into a pet store they are paying hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for an animal that is likely to be sick (or) have genetic defects," Animal Services General Manager Brenda Barnette said. 

To read more: http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/los-angeles-moves-to-ban-factory-bred-pet-sales-20110607

Success! Three University Medical Centers End the Use of Animals in Training Courses

 Today (5/31/2011): House Appropriations Committee Adopts Amendment to Defund USDA Inspections of Horse Slaughter Plants

Your calls did it! The House of Representatives  Appropriations Committee voted 24 to 21 in favor of Congressman Jim Moran’s amendment to the 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill to defund USDA inspections of  horse slaughter plants. Without funding for federal meat inspections, horse slaughter plants cannot operate in the U.S. The Appropriations Bill must still pass the full House and Senate, so the battle to protect America’s horses — including our cherished mustangs — is far from over. But this small victory is an important first step to preventing the re-establishment of horse slaughter plants in the U.S. Thanks to all who called the Appropriations Committee today! And a special thanks to Congressman Moran, a longtime defender of America’s wild horses and burros, and the 23 other House Members who stood up for America’s horses by supporting the Moran Amendment.

One of the biggest threats to the tens of thousands of wild horses who have been removed from the range and are stockpiled in holding facilities is the prospect of being sent to  slaughter to supply foreign demand for horse meat. Your action is needed today to protect the mustangs – and all American horses – from this horrific fate.

Late this afternoon, the House Appropriations Committee will vote on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. For the first time since 2005, this bill does not include language to defund USDA inspections of horse slaughter facilities. No horse slaughter plants currently operate in the U.S., and none can re-open in the absence of USDA inspections. If the Congress provides federal funds for required inspections, it would open the door for foreign investors to re-establish horse slaughter plants on American soil. To prevent this, Congressman Jim Moran will introduce an amendment to restore the prohibition on putting USDA inspectors in horse slaughterhouses.

As soon as possible, please call the members of the House Appropriations Committee listed below and ask them to support the Moran Amendment. If you cannot call every member, then please call as many as you can, making sure to call your Representative (if he or she is on the committee) as well as committee members from your state.

America’s Horses Need You to be Their Voice. To read more and help: http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org/news/2011/05/31/today-531-action-ask-congress-to-defund-inspectors-for-horse-slaughter-plants/

State by State Roundup on Animal Protection | Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics

State by State Roundup on Animal Protection

Posted: 27 May 2011 09:34 AM PDT

Nearly five months into 2011, many state legislatures have already adjourned for the year. There has been a tremendous amount of progress made on state policies to protect animals from cruelty and abuse, with most of the efforts led by HSLF and The HSUS, even while lawmakers’ attention is consumed with budget crises and other pressing social concerns.

So far, 40 new animal protection laws have been enacted in the states in 2011. Another 17 bills have passed both chambers, and either await a governor’s signature or further action in a conference committee, while 52 bills have passed one chamber, many of which have a chance of getting over the finish line if their state is still in session. Additionally, 56 bills that would have been harmful to animals have been defeated. Here’s a wrap-up on some of the big ticket items for animals in state capitols around the country.

ANIMAL CRUELTY: Mississippi became the 47th state to establish felony-level penalties for malicious acts of cruelty to animals. Only Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota remain misdemeanor cruelty states. Maryland enacted a law allowing courts to prohibit people convicted of cruelty from owning animals during their probation, Florida approved a ban on bestiality, and a bill on the Hawaii governor’s desk will close a loophole in the cruelty statute that exempted “vermin” from humane protections. Colorado, Minnesota and West Virginia upgraded the penalties for killing or injuring public service dogs, and a bill awaiting the governor's signature in New Jersey will do the same. Arkansas, Maryland and Virginia passed laws allowing pets to be included in domestic violence protection orders, and similar bills, if signed by the governors of Oregon and Texas, will bring the total number of states with such protections up to 22.

ANIMAL FIGHTING: Bills awaiting gubernatorial signatures in Hawaii and Texas will close major loopholes in those states’ laws against animal fighting. Hawaii’s bill will upgrade the penalties for dogfighting and make it a felony to attend a dogfight or use “bait dogs”—often lost or stolen pets—to train dogs for fighting. Texas’ bill will ban the possession of cockfighting birds and weapons and attendance at cockfights. If signed into law, Hawaii will be the 49th state to ban attendance at dogfights, and Texas will be the 43rd state to ban attendance at cockfights, the 38th to ban possession of fighting birds, and the 17th to ban fighting implements such as razor-sharp knives and gaffs strapped to rooster’s legs to increase the bloodletting.

ANTIFREEZE POISONING: Georgia, Maryland and West Virginia passed laws requiring the addition of a bittering agent into antifreeze and engine coolant to prevent animals and children from being poisoned by the sweet-tasting liquid. A Texas bill is close to passing the legislature, and if it’s adopted and signed by the governor, 18 states will have laws to prevent antifreeze poisoning.

POACHING: Arizona, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming upgraded their state laws to protect wildlife from being illegally killed by poachers. With budget cuts and fewer state resources and law enforcement officers to patrol vast amounts of wilderness, it’s even more important to have strong penalties to deter “thrill killing” and other illegal hunting.

SHARK FINNING: Washington became the second state (after Hawaii) to ban the sale of shark fins, and similar bills in California and Oregon have each passed one chamber and are making their way through the legislative process. With the Pacific states drying up the demand for shark fin soup and other shark products, it will help stem the tide on the brutal “finning” of sharks at sea—cutting off their fins and throwing them back into the water to die painfully—and the rapid decline of many shark populations worldwide.

PUPPY MILLS: Although Missouri politicians substituted their judgment for the will of the people, and repealed most of the core elements of Proposition B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, other state lawmakers have made forward progress on the puppy mill issue. A bill enacted in Maryland and another on the governor’s desk in Texas will crack down on puppy mills in those states. Puppy mill bills passed one chamber in West Virginia and two chambers in Hawaii, but did not receive final action this year. An Oklahoma bill to repeal the state’s puppy mill law was defeated.

AG GAG: Legislation to punish whistleblowers and prevent videotaping and reporting on abuses at industrial factory farms was defeated in Florida and Minnesota. Similar bills to shield agribusiness and roll back free speech are still pending in Iowa and New York.

UNSPORTING HUNTS: A number of states considered bills to expand the captive shooting of tame animals trapped inside fenced enclosures, and some made the argument that canned hunting would provide economic development opportunities. Working with responsible hunters and pointing out that canned hunts could cost taxpayers billions of dollars when captive animals spread diseases to native wildlife populations, we defeated these bills in Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia. Colorado and Maine considered bills to allow bear hunting during the spring—when mother bears are nursing their dependent cubs—and those bills were defeated, too. 

FERAL CATS: The Utah legislature considered perhaps the most absurd bill of 2011, which would have allowed the shooting or bludgeoning of any stray cat believed to be feral. That bill was sent to the litter box, and instead, Utah enacted a positive measure that officially sanctions trap-neuter-return (TNR) as a humane method of managing feral cat populations.

Wow, that was fast! Less than a day after PETA released heartbreaking photos and posted an action alert on our Web site drawing attention to the plight of more than 50 dogs who were transported on a Lufthansa cargo plane from the U.S. to a notorious Charles River Laboratories animal testing facility in Scotland, Lufthansa has announced a new policy prohibiting the transport of dogs and cats to laboratories. To everyone who responded to our call to action, thank you!

It's a great first step and an important victory for cats and dogs. We're delighted that Lufthansa acted so speedily. But all animals suffer in laboratories, so PETA is currently in discussions with Lufthansa concerning additional measures that can be taken to protect animals of other species.

Written by Alisa Mullins

to read more: http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2010/04/15/victory-lufthansa-stops-shipping-dogs-and-cats-to-laboratories.aspx

  Iceland's fin whaler declares truce

10 May 2011

Robbie Marsland, IFAW’s UK Director and global Iceland whales campaign manager, said: “Faced with the enormous difficulty in trading with Japan, the only legally possible buyer; the fact that there is no market for fin whale meat in Iceland; the threat of sanctions from the US and an implacably anti-whaling EU; it looks like Mr Loftsson has finally recognized that there is no real point in continuing to kill fin whales. We hope he continues to leave them in peace.” Meanwhile, minke whaling in Iceland continues. Last year 60 minke whales were killed. IFAW opposes whaling because it is inherently cruel – there is no humane way to kill a whale.

Trade with Japan has been difficult over the past five years and Mr Loftsson still has more than 2,000 tonnes of whale meat in deep freeze in Iceland. He cites further difficulties due to alleged damage done to production facilities by the recent tragic tsunami in Japan.  While about 5% of Icelanders eat minke whale meat, there is no market for fin whale meat in Iceland. The US has informed Iceland that it is considering the use of sanctions against Icelandic fin whaling and both Germany and the Netherlands have passed resolutions in their parliaments that Iceland should not be allowed to join the EU and carry on any whaling. The UK Government is opposed to all commercial whaling.

“IFAW has been carefully campaigning in Iceland for the past eight years. We have sought to advocate responsible whale watching and to question the economics and politics behind Icelandic whaling. We are pleased to see this positive move and shall await developments with much interest and some optimism,” said Mr Marsland. Rannveig Grétarsdóttir, Chair of the Icelandic Whale Watching Association (Icewhale), responded to this news by saying: “We welcome this move and look forward to a time when whale watching is the only whale business in Iceland.”

 To read more: http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw_united_states/media_center/press_releases/5_10_2011_70554.php

Reindeer 'cruelty' slammed by rights group

Reindeer are being tormented when slaughtered, according to the animal rights organisation World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA).

• Dead goat scares recycling depot visitors (31 Oct 10)
• Outrage after rabbit slaughter broadcast (28 Oct 10)
• 17,000 minks set free in southern Sweden (4 Oct 10)

Good news for Doggies in New York

NEW YORK CITY PASSES LAWS TO PROTECT DOGS

  Thanks to the hard work of petition signers and concerned animal activists, New York City Council has passed two great legislations to provide more protection for dogs in the city. The first legislation limits the number of hours a dog can be chained up outside to three. This legislation also puts strict regulations on how heavy the chain can be and completely forbids the use of choke collars. The fine for breaking any of these is up to $500. The second legislation passed increases the unaltered dog license fee from $11.50 to $34. This fee increase will hopefully encourage dog owners to spay or neuter their pets. The extra money will go towards programs in New York that help control dog overpopulation.  For the full article: Care2

The Jolly Good news: http://jollygoodnews.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/new-york-city-passes-laws-to-protect-dogs/

Hot Off the Press: The 2010 Humane Scorecard | Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics

Hot Off the Press: The 2010 Humane Scorecard

Posted: 02 Feb 2011 11:47 AM PST

Before Election Day, I posted a preliminary version of the 2010 Humane Scorecard, and after the end-of-year congressional “lame-duck” session, I provided a look at our year in review for animals. We made progress for animal protection on a number of fronts, and ended the 111th Congress with major policies enacted on crush videos, fur labeling, and shark finning.

I’m pleased to announce today that the Humane Society Legislative Fund has posted the final version of the 2010 Humane Scorecard, where you can track the performance of your federal lawmakers on key animal protection issues during the two-year session of the 111th Congress. We rated legislators based on their voting behavior on measures such as crush videos, primates as pets, service dogs for veterans, wild horses, and guns in parks; their co-sponsorship of priority bills on puppy mills, horse slaughter, fur labeling, chimps in research, and overuse of antibiotics in factory farms; their support for funding the enforcement of animal welfare laws; and their leadership on animal protection. The Humane Scorecard is not a perfect measuring tool, but it is an invaluable one in gaining insight into how your lawmakers perform on the major issues of the day.

• I hope you will use the Humane Scorecard as a guide, and communicate with your lawmakers about their grades for 2010. If they scored high marks, please thank them for their support of animal protection. If they did poorly, please tell them you’re watching and you hope they’ll do better in 2011. If you have new legislators representing you in the 112th Congress, contact them, too, perhaps indicating that you’ve seen the Humane Scorecard for 2010 and that you want them to be supportive of animal protection and earn a good score in the Humane Scorecard for 2011. (Click here to contact your representative. Click here to contact your senators.) Let all your federal legislators know that you and other constituents care about the humane treatment of animals, and want to see common-sense policies enacted to protect these creatures from cruelty and abuse.

 To read more: http://hslf.typepad.com/political_animal/2011/01/our-congressional-year-in-review-for-animals.html

Our Congressional Year in Review for Animals | Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics

Our Congressional Year in Review for Animals

Posted: 13 Jan 2011 02:52 PM PST

The 111th Congress turned out to be a very productive session that ushered in several major policy reforms for animal welfare that were top priorities for HSUS and HSLF. This occurred despite the challenges of moving legislation forward in a competitive and often polarized climate. Though several good bills were left undone, animals won important victories in the 111th Congress, which ran from January 2009 to December 2010. Today I provide a wrap-up of how animal protection fared overall in the congressional session that just ended, and what’s ahead in the coming year.

Dramatic Victories in the Final Stretch

The final passage of these priority bills during the last month showed that Congress can indeed reach bipartisan agreement to protect animals:

• Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act: On Dec. 9, 2010, a new law (P.L. 111-294) took effect banning the creation, sale, and distribution of obscene “animal crush” videos that show the intentional crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, or impaling of live animals – often by scantily clad women in stiletto heels—for the sexual gratification of viewers. When the federal courts struck down a 1999 law intended to end this horrific trade, we saw a resurgence in crush videos for sale on the Internet. Outstanding leadership by Reps. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., Gary Peters, D-Mich., John Conyers, D-Mich., Lamar Smith, R-Texas, Bobby Scott, D-Va., Jim Moran, D-Va., and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Richard Burr, R-N.C., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Harry Reid, D-Nev., and David Vitter, R-La., spurred enactment in less than eight months of a narrowly-crafted bill to stop this vile trade involving animals purposely tortured for sick entertainment and profit.


• Truth in Fur Labeling Act: On Dec. 18, 2010, P.L. 111-313 was enacted, bringing much-needed accuracy and disclosure to fur-trimmed apparel, regardless of the dollar value of the fur. Prior law allowed fur content to be unidentified if it was valued at $150 or less, and HSUS investigations found widespread deception in the marketplace, including garments trimmed with animal fur being falsely advertised as “faux fur.” Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., and Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., and Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and David Vitter, R-La., championed this legislation.


• Shark Conservation Act: On Jan. 4, 2011, P.L. 111-348 was signed into law, increasing protection for sharks from the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning—cutting the fins off sharks and tossing the mutilated live animals back into the ocean to die. Up to 73 million sharks are killed this way each year, catering to the market for shark fin soup. Shark finning is a major cause of massive declines in shark populations around the world, creating serious imbalances in ocean ecosystems that depend on these top predators. The new law closes loopholes that allowed domestic shark finning to continue despite an earlier ban passed in 2000, and strengthens the U.S. hand in international negotiations to press other countries to pursue meaningful shark conservation. Reps. Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam, Eni Faleomavaega, D-American Samoa, Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and Henry Brown, R-S.C., and Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Harry Reid, D-Nev., and David Vitter, R-La., played key roles in winning this law’s enactment.

Also in December, Congress passed a major food safety bill (P.L. 111-353), led by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Judd Gregg, R-N.H., Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Reps. John Dingell, D-Mich., Henry Waxman, D-Calif., Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Bart Stupak, D-Mich., Frank Pallone, D-N.J., Janice Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., which should provide much-needed additional safeguards for pet food and could strengthen the Food and Drug Administration’s oversight of the egg industry. Among its many provisions, the new law sets safety standards for imported foods, requires importers to verify compliance, and gives the FDA better access to records and authority to impose mandatory recalls of contaminated products. This could help prevent problems such as occurred in 2007 when massive amounts of imported pet food tainted with melamine killed or sickened many pets. P.L. 111-353 passed the Senate in the wake of numerous recent outbreaks of food poisoning, including scandals involving egg contamination and filthy, inhumane conditions on factory farms, revealed in investigations conducted by the FDA and The HSUS. Extreme confinement of birds in battery cages where they can barely move for their entire lives is closely correlated to public health risks. All thirteen scientific studies published in the last five years comparing Salmonella contamination between caged and cage-free operations found that those confining hens in cages had higher rates of Salmonella. Under the new law, the FDA could increase inspections at battery cage egg facilities, require industry plans such as phasing out cages to minimize risk, and shut down repeat offenders.

Earlier Victories

In addition to these wins in December, the 111th Congress earlier completed action on two bills that will help wildlife: P.L. 111-241, introduced by Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C., and Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue and sell a Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp that will generate funds for conservation programs benefitting elephants, great apes, marine turtles, rhinoceroses, tigers, and other species.  P.L. 111-273, introduced by Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., provides for safe disposal of controlled substances, including dangerous pharmaceuticals that can hurt wildlife when they are dumped in the trash or flushed away, and end up in the environment.

A provision was enacted in 2009 authorizing a study of the use of service dogs for rehabilitating veterans, as sought by Reps. Ron Klein, D-Fla., and Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., and Sens. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.  And several helpful provisions were enacted as part of the Fiscal Year 2010 appropriations bills, including language to protect downed cattle, prevent horse slaughter in the U.S., boost development of non-animal alternatives in chemical testing and military training, call for a phase-out of federally-funded research on random-source dogs and cats sold by Class B dealers, ban killing of deer at Point Reyes National Seashore, and increase funding for enforcement and implementation of key animal welfare laws under the U.S. Department of Agriculture and under U.S. trade agreements (Click here for the details on these FY10 provisions).

The Senate also unanimously approved a resolution, S. Res. 84, introduced by Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, urging Canada to end its cruel commercial seal hunt (the House had approved a parallel resolution in the prior Congress, and resolutions are considered done when the respective chamber approves them). The House approved H. Res. 767, introduced by Rep. Robert Andrews, D-N.J., calling for a National Animal Rescue Day to raise awareness about the importance of pet adoptions and spaying and neutering. It also passed H. Res. 812, introduced by Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J.,  honoring the significant contributions of Military Working Dogs to the U.S. Armed Forces and calling for their adoption and care after their service is over, and H. Res. 1614, by Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., recognizing the vital role that law enforcement service dogs and their handlers perform in providing for our nation’s security.

Congressional Efforts that Encouraged Pro-Animal Agency Action

A House hearing chaired by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, shined a spotlight on problems in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s oversight of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and needed reforms including establishment of an ombudsman to provide slaughter plant inspectors an avenue to register their concerns and help ensure they are able to carry out their responsibilities without undue interference by agency supervisors. The ombudsman idea was proposed by the late Dr. Dean Wyatt, a courageous whistleblower who testified at the hearing and whose tips about egregious abuse of infant calves prompted an HSUS undercover investigation of the Bushway slaughter plant in Vermont that was highlighted at the hearing. Senate Agriculture Appropriations committee report language included by Sen. Herbert Kohl, D-Wis., in July encouraged the agency to establish an ombudsman, and a letter to USDA by Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., co-signed by 40 of his colleagues, reinforced the request, as did the letters of more than 50,000 individuals. In December, USDA announced it will appoint an ombudsman for humane handling issues, as part of a package of reforms the agency is undertaking to strengthen its humane slaughter enforcement.

2010 in Review: A Remarkable Year for Animals and The HSUS

The approach of charity watchdog groups is typically to measure the work of nonprofit organizations by looking at spending ratios, comparing programmatic expenditures to fundraising and administrative costs. That provides some valuable information (and The HSUS performs well by these measures), but those kind of numbers alone do not give a full picture of the true effectiveness of a charity. In my opinion, the key measure is impact. What is a charity getting done in the real world?

The HSUS performs exceptionally on the big issues that affect the lives of animals, working in four big arenas: public policy, corporate reforms, education and awareness, and hands-on animal care. In several months, we’ll be releasing our annual report for 2010, and here are some of the accomplishments that we’ll highlight.

Public Policy

iStockphoto

In the U.S. Congress in 2010, we worked to put three major priorities on President Obama’s desk: passing narrowly crafted legislation to stop the sale and distribution of obscene animal crush videos; requiring the labeling of all fur garments by species type and country of origin, regardless of the value of the fur; and strengthening the law banning shark finning. We also helped to block efforts to delist wolves from their endangered status in the Northern Rockies and Upper Great Lakes—protecting our wins in the federal courts to prevent sport hunting of imperiled wolves. The House passed nine other HSUS-backed animal protection measures, but they stalled in the Senate. We’ll get behind these measures again in the 112^th Congress.

We also saw positive action on 24 elements of our 100-point “Change Agenda” with federal agencies, including stronger Horse Protection Act enforcement, implementation of wild horse contraception programs, a proposal to ban large exotic constrictor snakes as pets, and improved enforcement on puppy mills and humane slaughter. Following pressure from The HSUS, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Animal Protection of New Mexico, and others, the National Institutes of Health has suspended the transfer of 186 chimpanzees from a facility in New Mexico to an active research laboratory in Texas, where they would be made readily available for invasive research. The NIH has indicated that no chimpanzees will be transferred while the National Academy of Sciences reviews chimpanzee research policies.

On Nov. 2, we scored two major state ballot measure victories, driving the passage of Proposition B in Missouri to crack down on puppy mill abuses in the top dog-breeding state in the nation and defeating an NRA-backed amendment in Arizona to create a constitutional right to hunt and to block future wildlife protection initiatives. We also helped pass 96 other state laws and regulations and blocked several dozen anti-animal bills from passing. California passed legislation to ban the sale of whole battery cage eggs when Prop 2 takes effect in January 2015. Florida banned fox penning, Illinois banned keeping primates as pets, and Hawaii banned the sale of shark fins. Iowa and Oklahoma also passed legislation to create new standards for puppy mills.

USDA

The HSUS worked with Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and agriculture industry leaders in the state to negotiate an agreement that is expected to result in eight major animal welfare improvements, including phase outs of veal crates and gestation crates and new restrictions on the keeping of dangerous wild animals as pets.

We also work to enforce animal protection laws, both by assisting law enforcement with criminal matters, and by filing civil actions in the courts. In New York, we won a major water pollution case against Hudson Valley Foie Gras. In addition, we won our lawsuit against several of the nation's largest department stores and brands over false advertising and mislabeling of fur garments. In August, we won our lawsuit to stop the slaughter of wolves and reinstate federal Endangered Species Act protections. The ruling prevents wolf hunting from going forward in Montana and Idaho. And recently, the Ninth Circuit Court handed us a major win when it halted the killing of federally protected sea lions at the Bonneville Dam in response to our lawsuit against this senseless program.

This year, we also petitioned USDA to crack down on cruel horse soring practices, and filed an action to stop illegal political payments by the Ohio Gamefowl Breeders Association.

Our legal efforts also resulted in new habitat protections for right whales, a halt to a new migratory bird hunting program at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, a decision by the Park Service to cancel a program to poison crows, a ruling by a federal appeals court rejecting a constitutional challenge to the newly enhanced federal animal fighting statute, and a ruling holding that there is no constitutional right to operate a puppy mill free of humane regulations.

On the farm animal welfare front, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court injunction blocking a California law banning the use of sick and disabled ("downed") animals in the human food supply, and two former slaughter plant operators in Vermont were convicted on felony and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges in the wake of an HSUS investigation at a dairy calf slaughtering facility. The HSUS also launched several new farm animal cases, including an action to stop factory egg farm Rose Acre Farms from making false claims about its treatment of animals, and a petition asking the Department of Justice for a criminal investigation focusing on egg industry executives who fixed egg prices by operating a questionable animal welfare certification scheme. We also announced a major class action lawsuit against Perdue Farms over the false advertising of factory farmed chicken products as humane.

Our international affiliate, Humane Society International, continued to extend our influence and secure gains for animals’ welfare in the European Union, India, China and many other countries around the globe  through our work in international wildlife conventions and other relevant international organizations in the areas of wildlife protection, animal testing, trade, stray dog welfare and management, and more.

Corporate Reforms

Michelle Riley/The HSUS

We gained our 1,000^th pledge from pet stores committing to make it their official policy not to sell puppies, thereby taking a stand against puppy mills.

Canada’s seal hunting did go forward in 2010, but with a dramatically reduced kill for the second year in a row. The allowable kill was 380,000, but the actual kill was about 66,000. The drop in the value of the pelts, driven by our efforts in Europe and other continents to close markets for seal products, has been the biggest factor in the low kill rate.

 To read more: http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2011/01/2010-achievements.html

Dear Friends, Generous supporters like you have helped us save almost 1,000,000 animals to date.

Meet some of the animals that with your help, were given a second chance at life.

Please help spread the word! Forward this message to your friends.

If you received this message from a friend, please sign up for email alerts from North Shore Animal League America.

Three Big Congressional Wins to Close Out the Year | Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics

Three Big Congressional Wins to Close Out the Year

Posted: 22 Dec 2010 08:57 AM PST

It has been a tremendous couple of weeks for national animal protection issues, as the U.S. Congress rushed to finish business in this lame-duck session. We are on our way to having three federal policies enacted in December that have long been priorities for HSLF and HSUS, and coupled with the other achievements in Congress and the 97 new animal protection laws at the state level, they are marking 2010 as a great year for animals.

Yesterday, Congress gave final approval for the Shark Conservation Act, bipartisan legislation that will increase protection for sharks from the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning—cutting the fins off a shark and tossing the mutilated live animal back into the ocean to die. Up to 73 million sharks are killed each year, and shark finning is a major cause of massive declines in shark populations around the world, just for a bowl of shark fin soup. The new legislation requires that sharks be landed with their fins still naturally attached, the only sure way to enforce a ban on finning, and will close a loophole in the current law that unintentionally allowed vessels to transport fins obtained illegally as long as the sharks were not finned aboard that vessel. The Senate approved the bill unanimously on Monday, and the House followed suit on Tuesday; it now heads to President Obama for his signature.

These successes come on the heels of yet a third recent victory in Congress, with President Obama signing into law the Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act earlier in December. This statute immediately banned the creation and distribution of obscene animal torture videos that show the intentional crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating and impaling of puppies, kittens and other live animals for the titillation of viewers. When the U.S. Supreme Court in April struck down the 1999 statute banning video depictions of animal cruelty as too broad, we saw a resurgence in crush videos for sale on the Internet, and we immediately went to work with congressional leaders to pass a more narrowly crafted bill that would address this problem. Fewer than eight months later, we have a strong law on the books to give law enforcement the tools it needs to snuff out these snuff films.

These are major policy reforms that wouldn’t have been possible without strong congressional champions on both sides of the aisle, and advocates like you who took the time to make phone calls and contact your lawmakers in support of these bills. Thanks to you, countless animals now have critical protections from cruelty and abuse. As we turn the page on 2010, and this past decade, we do so with much gratitude for these accomplishments and for the support of people like you who have helped push these bills over the finish line.

After major success with protection of the Wilderness around Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon Wild went back to work in 2010 to protect new areas, advocate for endangered wildlife, and combat climate change by protecting our last ancient forests.

Hi J,

Your involvement contributed to Oregon Wild’s accomplishments in 2010:

• We released, along with Senator Ron Wyden, conservation allies, and timber industry representatives, a groundbreaking legislative proposal to protect and restore forests and watersheds across 8.3 million acres east of the Cascades.
  
  
• We won a federal lawsuit, with the help of Earthjustice, to restore Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves across Oregon and the northern Rockies.
  
  
• We continued our historic work keeping federal land managers honest, sparing 4,700 acres of mature and old-growth forest from logging.
  

Our 2011 New Year’s resolution to you is a wild and protected Oregon. Please give today and help us continue our determined advocacy for Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife and water in 2011.



With gratitude,

Scott Shlaes
Executive Director
Oregon Wild

 

This joy is expressed most poignantly by children.  The picture above was drawn by a child who recently enjoyed visiting our Discovery Center.  He's just one of over 21,000 children and adults who participated in our education programs about marine animals and ocean conservation in the past few years.

Kathy Zagzebski
President & Executive Director
National Marine Life Center For more information:  http://nmlc.org/

You've been working hard all year to make this world a better place. Here are some examples of how your dedication and generosity have helped.

Disabled Veteran's Service Dog Saved From Death
After being accused of biting a neighbor, pit bull Mimi was taken from her home and labeled "dangerous" despite the lack proof of any foul play. Thanks to many generous donations from around the world, her owner Steven was able to pay the fines needed to bring Mimi home. However, city official are targeting Steven once again. Read more.

Senate Passes Food Safety Bill
The Consumers Union petition to put pressure on U.S. senators to pass this bill garnered over 28,000 signatures, and now we can celebrate a success after they approved this biggest overhaul to American food safety laws since the 1930s. Read more.

No Offshore Drilling For Seven Years
The Obama administration announced earlier this month that it would not propose any new oil drilling in waters off the East Coast of the United States for at least the next seven years. Care2 members signed petitions from Oceana and Environmental Defense Fund to stop ALL offshore drilling. This ban will be a great start. Read more.

Trawling Banned In Belize
In early December, a ban was set on all forms of trawling in the Belize -- a controversial and destructive type of fishing that involves dragging a weighted net across the seafloor, which can crush anything in its path. A special thank you goes to Oceana and their supporters for making this victory possible. Read more.

Blue Valentine NC-17 Rating Overturned
More than 3,000 Care2 members signed the petition appealing the NC-17 rating of the film Blue Valentine. Because of your signatures and complaints from the actors and all involved with the film, the Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) agreed to change the rating to R -- allowing more access to the film. Read more.

We hope you enjoy this holiday season success update. Share your success stories with us by emailing successstories@earth.care2.com.

Best Wishes! Megan S. Care2 Campaigns Team ThePetitionSite.co To see all they have on everything: http://www.care2.com/

Dear J,

This was the year our powerfully diverse community hit a tipping point.

Change.org members organized 9,132 campaigns on six continents. Together, we took action nearly 8 million times. A million more people joined our movement. And we're growing more quickly every day.

We didn't just fight. Time and time again, we won. In towns and cities all around the globe, Change.org members saw a way their world could be better, organized for social change, and emerged victorious.

The team at Change.org has watched in amazement at everything this exploding community has accomplished so far. And we can't wait to see what we can do together in the year to come.

To celebrate our successes together, we've created a list of 10 of the most inspiring victories on Change.org in 2010. See the top 5 below, and all 10 here. Then, if you're feeling bold, start your own petition -- your campaign could be on this list in 2011.

No. 495, January 14, 2010

	Victory for Jaguars: Obama Pledges Recovery Plan, Habitat Protection
	Black Mesa Coal Mine Expansion Halted
	Fourteen Endangered Birds to Earn U.S. Protection
	Green Sturgeon Gains Protection From Fishing
	Feds: Yes, Manatee Needs More Habitat; No, We Won't Grant It
	Help Save Sea Turtles, Hear Center Expert on Longline "Death Curtain"
	Center Petitions to Stop Frankenfish Chemicals -- Take Action With Us
	Studies: Alaska Polar Bears and Walrus in Peril
	Sneaky Sea Slug is Part Animal, Part Plant
	Volunteers Needed to Give Out Free Endangered Species Condoms

Victory for Jaguars: Obama Pledges Recovery Plan, Habitat Protection

Capping a 13-year battle to save the American jaguar from extinction, this week the Center for Biological Diversity won a decision from the Obama administration to develop a recovery plan and protect essential habitat for North America's largest and most endangered cat.

The Bush administration had twice declared that it would not recover, reintroduce, or do anything to protect jaguars in the United States. Twice the Center's legal team filed suit and struck down the illegal decisions. This left the final decision up to Obama, but until the last moment, we were uncertain he would do the right thing as he has not made endangered species a priority to date. Now that the Obama administration has committed to developing a federal recovery plan and mapping out the jaguar's critical habitat, the long, hard work of saving the American jaguar can begin. I want to personally thank the tens of thousands of Center supporters who sent emails to the Obama administration to save the jaguar. You really showed the administration how important and popular jaguar conservation is. I also want to thank the thousands of people who contributed financially to keep our jaguar campaign going these 13 long years; without you, we couldn't have done it.

Read more in the Arizona Daily Star.

Black Mesa Coal Mine Expansion Halted

Last week one of the country's most destructive dirty-coal complexes suffered a major setback when, in response to work by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, a judge nixed a permit to expand the already massive Black Mesa and Kayenta coal mines. Because of appeals filed by the Center, other environmental groups, and a host of local tribal groups and individuals, Peabody Energy -- the largest private coal company in the world -- won't be able to operate and expand both mines under a single permit. The permit would have allowed Peabody to mine an additional 6.35 million tons of coal per year, which the Center estimates would add up to more than 100 million tons. Of course, all those tons of coal would have ended up disgorging hundreds of millions more tons of greenhouse gases into the air. Plus, an expansion would have hurt species like the Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, humpback chub, Mexican spotted owl, southwestern willow flycatcher, and Little Colorado spinedace, as well as their habitat. Last month, in response to objections by the Center and allies, a judge struck down a controversial water permit for Black Mesa that was poisoning wildlife and tainting local communities' groundwater.

Read more in the Arizona Daily Sun.

Fourteen Endangered Birds to Earn U.S. Protection

As a result of a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit, last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed a rule to protect two endangered birds, native to Galápagos and Papua New Guinea, under the Endangered Species Act. The Galápagos petrel, a dark-rumped seabird known to Galápagos Island natives as "web-footed one," is most seriously threatened by introduced predators and farm animals that tear up its habitat. The Heinroth's shearwater, an elusive bird thought to breed in Papua New Guinea and the nearby Solomon Islands, is also threatened by nonnative predators; its habitat is being destroyed by deforestation as well as commercial fishing operations. Also in response to Center legal work, the Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to protect 12 birds from Peru, Bolivia, Europe, and French Polynesia.

Check out our press release and learn more about the Galápagos petrel and the Center's International Birds Initiative.

Green Sturgeon Gains Protection From Fishing

Following the Center for Biological Diversity's successful work to protect the southern green sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act, last month the California Fish and Game Commission voted to close a big stretch of the species' primary spawning grounds on the upper Sacramento River to all sturgeon fishing. That means starting March 1, adult green sturgeon -- down to critically low numbers -- can no longer be fished in the deep holes they like to hide in after reproducing in the river. The closure will also benefit white sturgeon reproduction. Work will also soon start on a major fish-passage project at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam, an impediment to green sturgeon and salmon migration in the upper Sacramento. The last straw for dammed fish came in 2007, when dam gates crushed a significant number of spawning green sturgeon. The new fish-passage project will replace the gates by 2012, greatly improving migration for endangered sturgeon, salmon, and steelhead.

Learn more about the green sturgeon and the victories the Center earned for it, including 8.6 million acres of critical habitat and strong federal protective regulations.

Feds: Yes, Manatee Needs More Habitat; No, We Won't Grant It

In response to a petition by the Center and allies, this week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the endangered Florida manatee indeed needs new federal habitat protections -- but put off actually granting those protections indefinitely. Since "critical habitat" was set aside for the manatee more than three decades ago, a vast body of science has shown that the mild-mannered mammal needs more, and different, areas protected -- and the feds can't ignore that need. Instead, they're saying they won't take action to save the manatee until they get more funding to do it. But with Florida's population blowing up, the last stand of precious manatee habitat could be developed or destroyed by boat-propeller damage, dams, pollution, marine debris, and other threats. Last year was the deadliest year on record for manatees, with a total of 429 deaths and a record 97 killed by collisions with boats. "Today's decision to withhold critical habitat protections puts the Florida manatee in an administrative purgatory," said Center Oceans Director Miyoko Sakashita. "Endangered species don't have time to wait for bureaucracy."

Read more in the St. Petersburg Times.

Center Petitions to Stop Frankenfish Chemicals -- Take Action With Us

To protect a wide variety of animals -- as well as humans -- from poisoning by hormone-altering drugs, the Center for Biological Diversity this week submitted a scientific petition to the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate endocrine-disrupting chemicals under the Clean Water Act. Endocrine disruptors, chemicals that interfere with the body's endocrine system -- which regulates growth, metabolism, and tissue function -- can damage reproductive organs and offspring and cause developmental and immune problems in humans and wildlife, including endangered species like the California red-legged frog and desert pupfish. But as the human population grows and our chemical use increases, more and more of these chemicals are being introduced to wildlife habitat and drinking water through pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides, cosmetics, detergents, deodorants, and myriad other substances. The Center's petition calls on the EPA to adopt sensible limits that will eliminate or dramatically reduce these scary chemicals in U.S. waterways.

Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle and take action on endocrine disruptors today.

Help Save Sea Turtles, Hear Center Expert on Longline "Death Curtains"

Thousands of endangered leatherback sea turtles die each year during their epic migrations across the ocean, running into what have been aptly called "curtains of death": 60-mile-long lines of frightening fishhooks that snag and drown turtles and other ocean wildlife. To save leatherbacks from longline fishing and other deadly threats, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned and filed suit to earn them federally protected habitat, which was proposed this month to the tune of 45 million acres. Unfortunately, the protections proposed wouldn't save sea turtles from industrial fishing. Leatherbacks need humans to set aside hook-free habitat, or the ancient reptiles could finally succumb to extinction. As Center attorney Andrea Treece reminded us in a radio interview this week, humans need sea turtles, too. "Sea turtles provide an indication of the health of our oceans and the health of us as a species, because we really do depend on our oceans to regulate the climate, to provide food, as well as to provide us with spiritual enrichment."

Tell the feds to protect leatherback habitat from all threats and hear Treece talk on WBAI New York radio.

Studies: Alaska Polar Bears and Walrus in Peril

Responding to a court order spurred by a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit, last month the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finished long-overdue reports confirming that polar bears in Alaska are declining and Pacific walrus are under threat. Both species are suffering from the loss of their sea-ice habitat to global warming, oil and gas development, and unsustainable hunting. "The science is in, and it shows that Alaska's polar bears and walrus are in big trouble," said Rebecca Noblin, with the Center's Climate Law Institute. "There is no longer any excuse to delay action to protect these great Arctic mammals. Without their sea-ice habitat, America's polar bears and walrus are doomed."

Check out our press release and learn more about our campaigns to save the polar bear and Pacific walrus.

Sneaky Sea Slug Is Part Animal, Part Plant

It's an animal -- it's a plant -- it's an Elysia chlorotica sea slug.

Yes, biologists have just announced that this species of green sea slug -- an animal, of course -- is also part plant. From the algae they eat, Elysia chlorotica slugs have stolen the DNA to produce the plant pigment chlorophyll, as well as the tiny cell parts called chloroplasts that plants use to conduct photosynthesis and get energy from the sun. The slugs can actually go their whole lives without eating, as long as they're in the sun for 12 hours a day and they've eaten enough algae to steal the chloroplasts they need. No one's quite sure how the slugs actually appropriate the plant genes, but they've been proven to do it so well that they can actually pass the genes on to baby slugs.

Learn more from MSNBC.

Volunteers Needed to Give Out Free Endangered Species Condoms

Want to do something to protect wildlife and habitat from overpopulation? Something exciting, important, and entertaining?

Be a part of the Center for Biological Diversity's brand-new Endangered Species Condom Project, a campaign to nationally distribute free condoms in six different packages featuring endangered species threatened by human overpopulation, with the goal of raising awareness about overpopulation's serious impacts on our planet. The packages will be released next month, and we need your help to get them out. Sign up and you can help us educate people across the country about what overpopulation does to species that don't have the privilege of over-reproducing -- or even reproducing enough to survive -- from the spotted owl to the Puerto Rico rock frog to the polar bear.

To get involved, click here now.

Kierán Suckling Executive Director

Election Night Wrap-Up for Animals Victories

It was a big election night for animals, with major victories against the puppy mill industry and agribusiness lobby in Missouri, and against the NRA and trophy hunting lobby in Arizona. And many of the leading animal advocates in Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, were reelected to continue their work in 2011. The votes are still being tallied in some races, but here is a rundown of where we stand so far on the major contests that affect animals.

State Ballot Measures

The top priority for animal advocates across the country was Missouri’s Proposition B, to crack down on puppy mill abuses in the nation’s top puppy mill state. I watched the election returns with a group of animal welfare supporters at the Humane Society of Missouri animal shelter in St. Louis, and it was a nail-biter. At the end of the night, Prop B was approved by a margin of 60,000 votes, establishing common-sense standards for the care of dogs. The margin would have likely been much larger, if the Missouri Farm Bureau, Lucas Oil and Cattle Company, Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, and others had not thrown in their lot with the puppy millers, and run a late-breaking, scorched-earth campaign to confuse voters into believing that Prop B was about more than dogs. Fortunately, Missouri citizens saw through the rhetoric, and saw Prop B for what it was: a much-needed policy to turn around the state’s reputation as the puppy capital of America. And if we can beat the puppy millers and their allies on their home turf where they are the strongest and the most entrenched, it should send a message to other state and federal lawmakers across the country that dogs deserve to be treated like family pets, not like a cash crop.

In Arizona, another priority campaign was the defeat of Proposition 109, a measure referred to the ballot by the state legislature at the request of the NRA. Prop 109 would have taken power away from Arizona voters, and handed it over to politicians and special interest groups, essentially blocking future citizen ballot initiatives on wildlife issues. It would have also weakened the Arizona Game & Fish Commission, replacing scientific wildlife management with partisan politics, and could have even overturned the 1994 ballot initiative restricting steel-jawed leghold traps and poisons on public lands. We fought back with our coalition partners, and urged Arizona voters to reject this power grab. They said no to the NRA, and shot down Prop 109 by a preliminary margin of 56 to 44 percent. It was the second time in a decade that Arizona voters refused to give up their voting rights and shot down this nonsense from the NRA. Another win for animals and voting rights occurred in Oklahoma where citizens decided to streamline the ballot initiative process and allow a consistent standard for petitioning to qualify ballot initiatives, including on animal protection subjects, passing State Question 750 by a vote of 50.4 to 49.6 percent.

A loss for animals took place in North Dakota, with the defeat of Measure 2, which would have banned the canned hunting of tame deer and elk trapped inside fenced pens. The measure, which was placed on the ballot by a group of North Dakota hunters who are strong advocates for sportsmanship and fair chase, was defeated about 43 to 57 percent, largely due to a well-funded campaign by the extreme elements of the trophy hunting lobby and the commercial wildlife ranching industry. The opponents persuaded voters that the measure was about “property rights,” when there are some things that are just out of bounds in a decent society even if they take place on private property—whether it’s dog fighting, cockfighting, or shooting tame animals trapped behind fences.  When HSLF saw the responsible hunters being far outspent in the race, we assisted them with TV ads to make the case to North Dakota voters, but unfortunately the effort was not enough to get them over the finish line.

California voters also rejected Proposition 21, which would have protected parks and wildlife by creating a stable and adequate source of funding to maintain state parks and beaches, and promote wildlife conservation and habitat protection.

To read more:   http://hslf.typepad.com/

Great news: Prop B passes: Missouri likes puppies after all

Missouri voters showed some puppy love for Prop B.

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More Photos

A dog may not be tied up outside if it is not in sight of the owner and if there is no food or water available for it.

 

The county has adopted an ordinance that prevents a dog or other animal from being tied up outside, or tethered, under certain circumstances.
The new law prohibits owners from tethering their animals unless:
• The animal is in the owner’s sight.
• The animal is not outside during extreme heat, cold or storms.
• The animal has access to food and water.
• The animal is at least 6 months old.
• The tether is connected to the animal by a leather or nylon collar or body harness.
• The tether is five times the animal’s body length.
• The tether does not weigh more than one-eighth of the animal’s weight.
• The tether is free of tangles.
This new law comes at the urging of a group called Dogs Deserve Better, which explained to county officials that dogs become more territorial, aggressive and dangerous when they are constantly chained outside with little human interaction.

To read more: http://www.yourobserver.com/news/sarasota/Front-Page/091720108011/Sarasota-adopts-anti-dog-tethering-law

Stomping Out "Crush" Videos, Stepping Up Enforcement

Posted: 22 Jul 2010 07:37 AM PDT

The big news in Congress this week is that the House overwhelmingly passed the Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act, introduced by Representatives Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., by a sweeping vote of 416 to 3. The bill now goes to the Senate, where Senators Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., have vowed to lead the fight for this legislation.

We are making progress on other priorities, too, in the 111th Congress. With a tough budget climate and competing national priorities for federal spending, HSUS and HSLF continue to make the case on Capitol Hill that adequate federal funding is necessary to enforce the nation’s animal welfare laws. And it’s money well spent since improved enforcement for animal protection means improvements in food safety, public health, consumer protection, disaster planning, anti-crime initiatives, and other related issues.

Once again this year, we rallied the support of a strong bipartisan group of 40 senators and 131 representatives—led by Senators Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and David Vitter, R-La., and Representatives Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Chris Smith, R-N.J.—to request funds needed to improve enforcement of animal welfare programs. Thanks to the outstanding leadership of the chairs of the agriculture appropriations subcommittees—Senator Herb Kohl, D-Wis., and Representative Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.—the signs look promising for animal welfare programs in fiscal year 2011.

The House and Senate bills to fund the budget of the U.S. Department of Agriculture aren’t yet finished, but both have cleared significant intermediate hurdles (the House bill was approved at the subcommittee level and the Senate bill was approved by the full committee). Both bills maintain strong levels of funding for the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and the federal law to combat dogfighting and cockfighting, as well as programs for veterinary student loan forgiveness and disaster planning for animals. Importantly, both bills recommend increased funding for investigations and enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, which should bring added might to combat abusive puppy mills, and nearly double the amount allocated for enforcement of the Horse Protection Act, a much-needed upgrade to crack down on rampant “soring” abuse involving deliberate infliction of severe pain on show horses’ legs and hooves, so it will hurt them to step and their exaggerated gait will win prizes.

This is just the latest installment in a multiyear effort. The HSUS and HSLF have been steadily building the enforcement budgets for these laws, recognizing that laws on the books won’t do animals much good if they’re not enforced. Over the past eleven years, for example, we’ve succeeded in boosting the annual funding for enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act by 139.5% (a cumulative total of more than $84 million in new dollars to the program). Today, there are 115 USDA inspectors, compared to about 60 inspectors during the 1990s, to help ensure basic humane treatment at thousands of puppy mills, research laboratories, zoos, circuses, and other facilities. We are hopeful that the fiscal year 2011 bill, once it’s finalized, will boost these numbers even further.

May 27, 2010 10:30:03

HUGE VICTORY for Polar Bears thanks to YOU!

A Big Win for America’s Threatened Polar Bears

A six-month ban on exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea is expected to put Shell Oil’s plans to drill in key polar bear habitat on hold… thanks to Defenders supporters like you who sent more than 118,000 messages!

I have some fantastic news about our threatened polar bears!
In the wake of the largest oil spill in U.S. history, President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today took an important step toward preventing the next offshore oil disaster – one that could jeapordize the survival of America's already fragile polar bear population.
Around noon Eastern Time, the president announced a moratorium on deepwater offshore drilling in the Chukchi Sea – offering these majestic Arctic hunters a much-needed reprieve from Shell Oil’s dangerous drilling scheme in key polar bear habitat. Over the last few weeks, caring Defenders supporters like you sent more than 118,000 messages to President Obama, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke (who oversees the National Marine Fisheries Service).
Today, your hard work paid off, as President Obama and Interior Secretary Salazar acknowledged the very serious threat that drilling activities pose to the sensitive ecosystems that sustain the Chukchi’s polar bears, bowhead whales and other wildlife. Defenders’ senior marine policy advisor Richard Charter put it best in a statement to the press earlier today:

“President Obama and Interior Secretary Salazar should be commended for suspending Shell's plans to drill in the Arctic Ocean this summer. The Arctic environment absolutely could not stand an oil spill like the one we're now seeing in the Gulf of Mexico -- any spill, in fact, would have devastating effects on Arctic wildlife, and it’s clear that we couldn’t clean it up.

Please read our statement and learn more about this important victory for polar bears.   

Today’s announcement by the Obama administration is a HUGE victory in our fight to prevent the next offshore oil disaster, but make no mistake: our fight is from over. Defenders of Wildlife will continue to push for a broader, more permanent ban on dangerous offshore drilling activities that threaten our wildlife. We will continue our on-the-ground work to save the lives of sea turtles and other wildlife threatened by the Gulf offshore oil disaster. And we will keep fighting to ensure accountability in government agencies charged with overseeing drilling permits and hold BP accountable for the catastrophic ecological damage that their negligence has caused in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. There will be plenty of work to do to protect and restore our natural treasures in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. But, for the moment, please accept my sincere thanks for taking the time to make a difference for our polar bears.

For the Wild Ones,

Jamie Rappaport Clark Executive Vice President Defenders of Wildlife

P.S. For the latest news and updates on our work to protect sea turtles, polar bears, whales and other wildlife threatened by Big Oil’s plans to industrialize our coasts, please follow our offshore drilling blog online at http://www.defendersblog.org.

Huge Victory: Georgia Gas Chamber Ban Passes House!                                                 

Polar bears, corals, sharks, and tuna are in danger of extinction, yet international trade of these rare animals continues, often unregulated. The Center for Biological Diversity is fighting to protect these species under U.S. law, but we also need the help of the international community to ensure their survival.
 
Polar bears are threatened by global warming, which is melting the ice they rely on, and oil and gas development that's destroying what's left of their Arctic habitat. Other threats, such as those posed by international trade, must be minimized so that the bears have the greatest chance of adapting and recovering. The Center's successful bid to list the polar bear under the U.S. Endangered Species Act can only go so far in protecting this iconic species. International trade -- and the wildlife "harvesting" it encourages -- threatens to push polar bears even closer to the brink. Corals, sharks, and bluefin tuna, too, are being rapidly overharvested for trade purposes.
This coming March, the United States will participate in international negotiations aimed at banning destructive trade in wildlife at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting. There, the United States has the opportunity -- and the responsibility -- to highlight the need to protect endangered species on a global level.
We need your help: Tell our government that strict controls on international trade are needed in order to ensure the survival of rare and irreplaceable species like the polar bear, corals, sharks, and bluefin tuna.

Click here to find out more and take action.

If you have trouble following the link, go to http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1940.

Donate now to support our work.

Polar bear photo (c) Pete Spruance. This message was sent to jkbullivant@yahoo.com. The Center for Biological Diversity sends newsletters and action alerts through DemocracyinAction.org. Let us know if you'd like to change your email list preferences or stop receiving action alerts and newsletters from us. Change your address or review your profile here.