Critical insights at the intersection of animals and politics
Policy Action Was Triggered by the Inescapable Conclusion That Most People Treat Dogs as Companions, Growing Public Health and Reputational Concerns, and the COVID-19 Crisis Washington, D.C. — In what can only be described as one of the biggest contemporary gains for animals globally, China has removed dogs from its National Catalogue of Livestock and … Read more
Oklahoma City — Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson is asking U.S. Attorney Brian J. Kuester to investigate allegations of ongoing trafficking of birds to Guam for cockfighting, for illegally possessing fighting animals, and perhaps engaging in other conduct at odds with state and federal law. Mr. Kuester, based in Muskogee, has jurisdiction for the Eastern District of … Read more
At a time when the nation’s network of factory farming and mechanized slaughter plants is breaking down — disassembling overweight and crippled animals at an indescribably fast pace, killing and throwing away millions more on the farm because of a mass production system on auto-pilot, and the slaughterhouse workers heading for the respirators — can … Read more
Benefield will play a stronger leadership role in national advocacy campaigns for horses Washington, D.C. —Today, Animal Wellness Action (AWA) announced the addition of Donna Benefield, of Gallatin, Tenn. as the organization’s new Senior Advisor on Equine Protection. Benefield was instrumental in the formation of four USDA-certified inspection programs over the past 30 years where … Read more
Nike and nine other brands offer 59 models of soccer cleats made of kangaroo skin. That’s a step too far. The horror of Australia aflame in 2019 and 2020 has itself sparked a movement to help kangaroos, the iconic mascots for the continent and a captivating draw for visitors from afar. Commercial shooters kill over … Read more
Free-roaming wild horses and burros have never faced a greater threat if you read the long-term plan for management of these animals released to Congress by the Bureau of Land Management this week. Here are its key features: Is this anything but a corrupt, massive depopulation plan, a prescription for terror for hundreds of bands … Read more
New Report Outlines Mass Roundup Plan that Will Result in Fiscal Ruin and the Destruction of America’s Wild Horse & Burro Herds Washington, D.C. — A surge in funding — $21 million of additional taxpayer dollars for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Management Program — will be used for the removal of 20,000-30,000 wild … Read more
Sir Winston Churchill may have missed the mark by more than a few decades, but his vision for the future of food was characteristically bold and accurate. “We shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing, by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium,” he … Read more
Nearly a decade ago, I made a new friend named Priscilla, our paths having merged in an improbable circumstance. From within the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, I had been working for years to curb the practice of soring — intentionally inflicting pain to horses’ front feet to create an artificial high-step known as the “Big … Read more
Nature — by that, I mean the Earth’s crust and atmosphere, its five kingdoms of living organisms, water and fire and rock, the effects of the sun and moon, and all other interrelated parts and processes — is more than a mere backdrop for the human experience. It is, and has always been, central to … Read more