Etsy Removes Cockfighting Implements — but eBay Refuses to Act. After our investigators uncovered that Etsy was illegally allowing its platform to be used for trafficking cockfighting implements—razor-sharp weapons strapped to birds’ legs to intensify bloodletting and cruelty—the company responded and removed the contraband earlier this month. But our investigation uncovered an even more consequential … Read more
Press Statement HOUSTON — Animal Wellness Action commended law enforcement in Texas for taking decisive action this Thanksgiving weekend against barbaric and illegal animal-fighting operations. Officials at the Washington D.C.-based animal-welfare nonprofit saluted deputies in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for their swift response to a tip about a cockfighting ring on Little York Road in … Read more
One more bust in the “Cockfighting Corridor” between Tulsa and Dallas ALVARADO, Texas — In the wake of a report last month that identified an extensive criminal network of illegal cockfighting operations clustered between Tulsa and Dallas, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office raided a Thanksgiving Day cockfighting derby in Alvarado, arresting 25 people and seizing more … Read more
Seven Arrested; More Than 30 Live Birds Seized in Connecticut Illegal Animal-Fighting Bust WASHINGTON, D.C. — Wayne Pacelle, a native of New Haven and now president of Animal Wellness Action, today praised the West Haven Police Department for swiftly dismantling an illegal cockfighting operation over the weekend, calling the incident a stark reminder that animal-fighting trafficking networks … Read more
45 Arrested in Newton County’s “Operation Pitbull” – Cash, Narcotics, and Firearms Seized AUSTIN, Texas — Animal Wellness Action today applauded the collaborative work of law enforcement authorities in Newton County, Texas for dismantling a large-scale dog-fighting operation in Newton County, calling the raid one of the most consequential dog-fighting enforcement actions in the state in … Read more
Along with the new leaders of our public health agencies, we’ve been calling for a wind-down of testing on primates and dogs Last week, something extraordinary happened within the bowels of a key life sciences agency of the federal government. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has directed its scientists to end all … Read more
More than 100 species are victims of plumbism, as are hunting families WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Lead Endangers Animals Daily (LEAD) Act, H.R. 6268, to direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to phase out lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle on the country’s 573 National Wildlife Refuges. … Read more
Animal Wellness Action and its sister organization urging NIH and FDA to follow with a phaseout of the National Primate Research Centers WASHINGTON, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy today praised the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) directive to phase out invasive monkey testing and research, celebrating … Read more
Passage of this bill breaks an 80-year-long “cow’s milk mandate” in the National School Lunch Program and takes a step toward fixing a broken, wasteful program WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate today unanimously passed an amended version of S. 222, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, that reinstates whole and 2% milk into school lunches … Read more
Are prairie dogs endangered? Prairie dogs are not federally listed as endangered, but their numbers have collapsed across the West. More than 95% of black-tailed prairie dogs — the most widespread of the five species—have been eliminated by habitat loss, poisoning campaigns, recreational shooting, and sylvatic plague. In 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service … Read more