Critical insights at the intersection of animals and politics
Tomorrow marks the running of the 145th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and the weather is calling for rain and storms at the track that’s been deemed one of the deadliest for horses. There’s been a black cloud over the horse racing industry this year amidst the crisis that began with 23 deaths … Read more
Rifts in the animal protection movement are unpleasant but inevitable, given that ours is a movement grounded on ideas and populated by millions of people and thousands of organizations. Like any major social cause or political party, there are factions, sects, personality clashes, strategic differences, and other aspects of human nature that hinder perfect harmony. … Read more
At the start of the second quarter, McDonald’s gave a detailed report on its progress toward its 2015 pledge to switch its entire egg supply to cage-free by 2025. “The result, so far,” according to a statement from the fast-food giant, “is more than 726 million cage-free eggs sourced for our McDonald’s U.S. restaurants in … Read more
Proposal plays Russian roulette with wild horses and burros For years, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has mismanaged wild horses and burros, failing to invest in proven fertility control programs and instead rounding-up and removing thousands of wild horses and burros from our public lands and shipping them off to holding facilities. There, … Read more
Churchill Downs and other major horse industry operations take important step, but it’s no substitute for the comprehensive reform of the Horseracing Integrity Act. The horse racing industry is showing flashes that it may be serious about weaning itself off of drugs. But key players within the industry continue to resist even modest anti-doping rules … Read more
Bill to Stop This Abuse, Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 693, Has Secured a Majority of House Lawmakers as Cosponsors Washington, D.C. — Footage released to Animal Wellness Action (Action) from a horse owner in Alabama shows despicable and even gruesome mistreatment of horses who are the victims of “soring” — the practice … Read more
Congress takes aim at multi-billion-dollar trade in wildlife parts Co-authored by Wayne Pacelle From ivory tusks to bear ball bladders to rhino horn to pangolin scales, wildlife trafficking involves the killing of wild animals for commercial sale of their parts and other products. It occurs on a scale second perhaps only to factory farming. From … Read more
Group Applauds Reps. Lieu, Davis, Kuster, and Thompson for Introducing the Bear Protection Act Washington, D.C. — Today, Animal Wellness Action applauded lawmakers for introducing legislation to stop the exploitation of bears, seeking to end the killing of the animals for their gall bladders. Today, Representatives Ted Lieu, D-Calif.; Rodney Davis, R-Ill., Ann Kuster, D-N.H., … Read more
Rash of horse deaths at Santa Anita signals fundamental problems for industry More than a few in the horse racing world think the rules about the responsible treatment of animals don’t apply to them or to their industry. Doping horses on race day to enhance performance, according to these “realists” in the sport, is the … Read more
Note: Today, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Mark Warner (D-VA) reintroduced the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act with five additional Republicans and five additional Democrats as original cosponsors. The measure, if enacted and enforced, would bring an end to routine abuses that have occurred over six decades — a curse for the sport … Read more