Critical insights at the intersection of animals and politics
Washington, D.C. — The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories has confirmed SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans) in a captive tiger at a zoo in New York. This is the first instance of a confirmed infection of COVID-19 in a tiger. Samples from this tiger were taken and … Read more
In what constitutes perhaps the riskiest imaginable practice when it comes to animal-to-human disease transmission, some cockfighters are known to put the head of a rooster in their mouth to suck airway secretions from the injured and exhausted animal. For the cockfighter, sucking up the blood and other secretions from the lungs and other air … Read more
Deer Farms May Be a Next Threat to Wildlife and Human Health That We Aren’t Doing a Damn Thing About Private game farms keep deer behind big fences, slaughter them for meat or velvet, and invite fee-paying hunters to shoot some of the quarry in a guaranteed-kill arrangement. It’s about as sporting as shooting a … Read more
In light of the Coronavirus Pandemic, It’s Common Sense to Crack Down on Reckless and Economically Insignificant Animal-Use Enterprises Such as Live Animal Markets and Cockfights WASHINGTON, D.C. — There are reports from Guam indicating that cockfighting has dramatically waned since the federal ban went into effect on December 20th. Today, Animal Wellness Action and the Animal … Read more
We are in disaster mode as a nation — sheltering in place, deploying FEMA and the National Guard, filling hospital beds with those showing the worst symptoms, and delivering food and other services to those in need. There are more than 60,000 Americans infected with the coronavirus, and 800 dead. Those numbers are sure to … Read more
Washington, D.C. — This week, the United States, Animal Wellness Action (AWA) and the Animal Wellness Foundation (AWF) submitted their respective arguments to the U.S. District Court in Guam and urged the federal judge presiding in the case to reject the arguments that the law extending animal fighting to the territories is unconstitutional as argued … Read more
“The Trump administration should consider a travel ban on China until China has verifiably shut down its exotic animal markets, at the very least,” wrote author and pundit Ben Shapiro this week. “The current crisis will cost millions of American jobs, millions more of Americans’ savings and thousands of American lives.” He’s right. And it’s … Read more
Gambling Company Spends Tens of Thousands Lobbying Against Anti-Doping Legislation that Would Save Equine Lives Louisville, Kentucky — Today, Animal Wellness Action took aim at Churchill Downs, the parent company and operator of The Kentucky Derby, for its self-serving announcement to delay the famed event while it quietly lobbies to block federal anti-doping legislation that … Read more
Press Release The animals were all placed for adoption by the Bureau of Land Management’s adoption programs, which put federally protected equines at risk of slaughter Washington, D.C. — The global health crisis caused by the Coronavirus should not be allowed to trigger a wave of pet companion relinquishment, according to the Animal Wellness Foundation … Read more
Washington, D.C. — Today, Bob Baffert, American horseracing’s best-known figure, endorsed the Horseracing Integrity Act, a measure to ban race-day doping of horses in American racing. Baffert’s endorsement was released in an essay published in the Washington Post. The legislation collectively has 275 Congressional cosponsors and is led by lawmakers representing major horseracing states and … Read more