Animal Wellness Action Blog

Critical insights into issues at the intersection of animals and politics​

by Wayne Pacelle Far-fetched courtroom strategies are the rage when it comes to cockfighting. It may be the down season for the blood sport, but from Puerto Rico to Louisiana to Guam, the knives are out in the federal courts when it comes to cockfighting. The most recent courtroom proceeding comes in Louisiana, where Lloyd … Read more

USDA Suspends Exhibition Permit for Jeff Lowe, as Joe Exotic’s Former Business Partner Announces He’s Closing the Zoo (Oklahoma City) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which enforces the federal Animal Welfare Act through an on-site inspection program, has suspended the exhibition license of Jeff Lowe, the operator of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park … Read more

The Zoological Association of America, the bill’s primary opponent, has withdrawn its opposition​ In the salacious Netflix series “Tiger King,” the public got both a magnified and distorted view of the antagonists in the debate over roadside zoos that exploit big cats. Instead of taking a deep dive into the life story of even a … Read more

San Francisco, CA — In a unanimous vote, the City and County of San Francisco has introduced standards and goals for food purchasing by the Department of Public Health and Sheriff’s Department in hospitals and jails that promote more sustainable, healthful, and animal-friendly standards. Specifically, the ordinance means that hospitals will be altering their purchasing practices … Read more

Louisville, KY — The Animal Wellness Foundation (AWF) and Animal Wellness Action (AWA) today announced a $5,000 reward for information resulting in successful prosecution of any individual for violating the federal law (7 U.S.C. § 2156) against animal fighting. The announcement follows the groups’ release of an extensive cockfighting investigation in Kentucky last week and … Read more

Washington, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action (AWA) and the Animal Wellness Foundation (AWF) today asked U.S. Attorneys Robert M. Duncan and Russell Coleman, respectively covering the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, to investigate allegations that seven Kentucky residents appear to be deeply involved in illegal trafficking of fighting animals, with most of them sending birds … Read more

Around 1800 B.C., a gradual shift began from a hunter-gatherer way of life to agriculturalism, and around 900 B.C., a Mississippian culture took root in what is now known as western and central Kentucky, a vast part of the Bluegrass State. Towns with a population of around 2,000 inhabitants began to develop around the area, … Read more

Far-fetched courtroom strategies are the rage when it comes to cockfighting.  It may be the down season for the blood sport, but from Puerto Rico to Louisiana to Guam, the knives are out in the federal courts when it comes to cockfighting. The most recent courtroom proceeding comes in Louisiana, where Lloyd Plumbar has mounted … Read more

Reward Comes After U.S. Attorney for the District of the Virgin Islands Announces That the United States Will Vigorously Enforce the Federal Anti-Cockfighting law Washington, D.C. — In the wake of an announcement by the U.S. Attorney for the Virgin Islands that she won’t stand by as illegal animal fighting occurs, the Animal Wellness Foundation … Read more

chained dog

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. House, for the second year in a row, has passed an amendment, led by U.S. Reps. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and backed by Animal Wellness Action and the Animal Wellness Foundation, designed to upgrade enforcement of anti-cruelty laws by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The measure, passed by … Read more