Green sea turtle hatchlings - Photo © Doug Perrine/SeaPics.com
We've been nominated to participate in the “Vote With Your Lips" campaign by the Body Shop.
T
he charitable organization that receives the most votes will receive the largest grant. Voting is already underway and we are going strong!
Your VOTE can help us ensure sea turtles are protected. Please click here and help us win a grant from the Body Shop!
Voting continues through October 28th, 2012. Please support the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, an important conservation initiative of the Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Cast your vote here
Every vote counts! Don't forget to tell your friends, family, and co-workers.
For the protection of sea turtles and our wild oceans,
Todd Steiner, Executive Director
* After voting, you can enter the raffle and “tell a friend” contest!
Voted. Thank you Lynn.
voted.
Plastic debris in our oceans kills hundreds of thousands of seabirds, endangered sea turtles, rare seals and other marine species every year. Roughly 40 percent of the world's oceans are covered in giant, swirling convergences of garbage, including billions of pounds of plastic that have become semi-permanent floating islands.
More plastic has been produced in the past decade than in the entire 20th century, and much of it ends up in the ocean. For instance, in the Los Angeles area alone 20 tons of plastic fragments -- grocery bags, straws and soda bottles -- are carried into the Pacific every day. All this plastic takes a deadly toll on hundreds of marine animals, from brown boobies to great white sharks.
Please take a moment to sign our petition asking the Environmental Protection Agency to curb plastic pollution on our beaches and in our oceans.
Click here to find out more and take action.Tell Rep. Wilson to fight seafood fraud
The SAFE Seafood Act will fight fraud so that you know exactly what you're eating and how it got from the bait to your plate.
Careful choices made at the grocery store don't mean much if you can't trust the label. You may buy "wild" salmon for your health and the environment, but the fish may have been unsustainably farmed and pumped full of antibiotics. Your healthy white tuna sushi may actually be escolar, a species that can cause stomach upset.
Without proper traceability, some seafood producers find it easy to lie about the species name, where the fish came from, and how it was caught. Once the fish passes hands, ocean-conscious consumers have no way to tell the illegal, unsustainable seafood from the rest.
Seafood fraud can be stopped. Sign today to put an end to dishonest and dangerous labeling»
Seafood fraud is hurting our oceans and our health, and it's time for it to end. The SAFE Seafood Act will make it harder for illegal fishermen and producers to sell their product in U.S. markets, and it will protect consumers like you from being cheated or harmed from dishonest labeling.
Sign TODAY and tell Rep. Wilson to support SAFE seafood»
For the oceans,
Emily Fisher
Oceana
Last month, The HSUS helped rescue nearly 50 dogs from two suspected fighting operations in Michigan. Our policy is to treat every rescued dog as an individual, not as a category, and our hope is that they can eventually be placed with rescue groups or adopting families. Daisy Balawejder, coordinator of the HSUS Dogfighting Rescue Coalition, sent this report last week from our emergency shelter in Kalamazoo, where she’s overseeing the care of the dogs from the raid and rescue.
I'm back in Kalamazoo and I just wanted to share a little bit about my experience here with these rescued dogs.
I am always checking myself and trying to put the brakes on when I start having expectations of the dogs. Like I tell the volunteers, we're dealing with trauma victims. They need our patience and care. They don't need us to draw conclusions or have expectations that they may or may not live up to. We just need to observe them and try to meet their needs.
Photo: Julie Baker
Marshall, one of the rescued dogs.There were many dogs here who were very flat, emotionally shut-down, unsure, afraid, weary, and wary. Many dogs were reviewed over and over again by behaviorists, looking for any measurable progress.
One of the dogs, Marshall, is a big brindle boy who was very traumatized. You could see the confusion in his face. His life had been hell—but it was the only life he'd ever known. He must have been wondering, was he safe here? Could he trust us? He eventually settled into the routine and began to relax. It was a long process, but every week, he was a little less nervous. The notes from his socialization and interaction with volunteers showed his progress—the nervous, cowering, unsure dog was becoming a curious, loving, gentle, friendly dog.
Two weeks ago we made a huge, fenced indoor play area. Marshall's kennel door faces the front of that area. Marshall is so happy to sit and smile and wait his turn. He goes for walks daily and is blossoming into a really wonderful boy.
I appreciate and understand that these operations take a lot of resources. Recently I posted this on Facebook: "Does giving a chance to survivors of dogfighting take a lot of resources? Yes. It is proportionate to the amount of abuse and exploitation they have suffered, and to the loyalty and love they have to give." It's such a great thing for me to know that the organization I work for shares that sentiment.
I just wanted to share this with you, along with a photo of Marshall taken last weekend. His smile pretty much says it all. Thank you for the opportunity to be here with these dogs, to help them find their way. I can't tell you how proud and honored I am to be a part of this. The extra time here has been such a blessing.
We rescue animals to prevent cruelty and spare them suffering. But we also do it to give them a second chance.
Signed. Thank you Lynn.
Voted, signed and Noted Update about Helping Rescued Dogs Recover an Learn to Trust 
Thnx Lynn ..Hugggs ) )..
Voted and signed - and thanks for the update and all you do! Don't always have time to post saying thanks to everyone!
Imagine not being able to communicate with your child. That is just one danger that whales and dolphins in the Middle and South Atlantic face thanks to incredibly loud airguns used in underwater seismic testing for oil and gas exploration. 
Take Action!
Name Our Newest Rescue, An Orphaned Baby Bobcat
Big Cat Rescuers Jamie Veronica and Dr. Justin recently traveled to Sanibel Island to pick up an orphaned bobcat kitten from CROW rehab facility. CROW staff received this kitten from nearby Captiva Island. The three month old male was found under a house shortly after an adult bobcat was discovered dead on the side of the road, a victim of a car collision. There are no wildlife rehab facilities on the island so the kitten was trapped and sent via helicopter to CROW.
There he received treatment for a parasite infection and was put on a stable diet to increase his weight. Meanwhile CROW's contact from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission had received a tip from our contact that Big Cat Rescue had facilities for rehabilitating bobcats and that we were currently in the process of rehabilitating another bobcat of the same age. (A young male named Gator, rescued from Gainesville, who's story appeared in last month's e-zine)
Arrangements were made to bring the kitten from Sanibel Island all the way to Tampa with the hopes of rearing the two bobcat kittens together. Having another bobcat for companionship at this impressionable age will increase their odds of surviving on their own in the wild incredibly. Our current bobcat in rehab, Gator, was very excited to see his new neighbor move in!
We need your help to find the purr-fect name for this new bobcat kitten. For just $1 you can submit a name into the Name the Bobcat Contest. Enter as many times as you like. Choose several names or increase your odds of winning by submitting your name more than once. Your name suggestions will help fund the ongoing care of both rehab bobcats, so it's fur a good cause!
Enter your suggestion here: http://www.bigcatrescue.biz/servlet/the-1296/Name-the-Bobcat/Detail
I RESCUED A HUMAN TODAY by Janine Allen
Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.
I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn’t be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn’t want her to know that I hadn’t been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn’t want her to think poorly of them.
Polar Bears Trump Big Oil 
Royal Dutch Shell announced yesterday that it will not move forward with plans to drill for oil in the Arctic's Beaufort and Chukchi Seas -- this year. Shell put off drilling after spill containment equipment failed during a test under calm, predictable conditions.
Known as the Polar Bear Seas, the waters where Shell still wants to drill are home to the entire U.S. population of polar bears and serve as a vital migration route for bowhead and beluga whales. More than a million people have spoken out against Shell's drilling plans over the past few months.
Tell President Obama you're thrilled that Shell has decided not to drill this year -- and urge him to protect the Polar Bear Seas next year.
Thanked Mr. Obama
Thanks for all the news etc Lynn and thank you for all you do for the Group.
EPA Curb Plastic Pollution, EPA Protect Maine Animals from Blasts, and Thanked Obama for Shell deciding not to Drill Oil this year!! All articles noted and took action where I could Lynn Thnx ..
$75,000 Fine and Probation Handed Down in Notorious Horse Soring Case
Posted: 19 Sep 2012 11:49 AM PDT
Yesterday, in a packed Chattanooga courtroom, the Hon. Harry S. Mattice, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, handed down penalties in the horse abuse case involving Jackie McConnell—the Hall of Fame trainer of Tennessee walking horses, who in 2011 was captured on tape by an HSUS undercover investigator intentionally injuring the animals under his charge in order to get them to step higher and win ribbons at horse shows.
McConnell is now a convicted federal felon. The judge fined him $75,000 and sentenced him to three years supervised probation—specifically requiring him to report “any involvement with horses” to his probation officer—and to 300 hours of community service to be performed for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It’s the stiffest sentence ever handed down under the Horse Protection Act.
Chad Sisneros/The HSUS
Horse soring is not only cruel, but a serious crime.
Like many, I would have liked to see McConnell do time in prison for the horrible things he did to horses–not just the ones that our investigator filmed him abusing, but all of the hapless creatures who were unlucky enough to fall under this man’s control. McConnell still faces 15 charges of violating Tennessee’s cruelty to animals statute in a pending case, and his guilty plea in federal court virtually guarantees the charges will stick. The threat of jail time still looms for McConnell in the state’s case.
But justice was done yesterday–and a signal was sent to every lawbreaker in the world of Tennessee walking horse shows that you don’t get away with abusing animals any longer. There’s no immunity for those who unlawfully torture horses to win ribbons–whether they’re the owners or the trainers. U.S. Attorney Bill Killian and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Neff made it abundantly clear that when evidence of these crimes is reported, offenders will be prosecuted.
As the United States argued in court yesterday, there’s a defect in the underlying law—the Horse Protection Act, which has not been upgraded since 1976—that allowed Jackie McConnell to maintain some measure of freedom in spite of the crimes he committed. Last week, we took a big step toward correcting it by working with humane-minded lawmakers to introduce legislation to expand the range of prohibited acts related to soring and to impose meaningful penalties for violations of the law.
This whole controversy is about more than Jackie McConnell. He is one trainer among dozens who have operated in a professional subculture that not only tolerates soring, but believes it’s essential to win.
Punishing McConnell is needed in order to see justice served. But if we stopped there, we’d be missing the point. Just as we’d be missing the larger point if we only wished to see Michael Vick punished, understanding that he was one of tens of thousands of people involved in dogfighting.
Just as The HSUS moved on from the Vick case and relentlessly pursued a comprehensive, multi-faceted attack on dogfighting, that’s what we need with soring.
The pitiful epilogue to Jackie McConnell’s training career ended yesterday, with his sentencing in federal court. Now, it is up to us to take the lessons of the McConnell investigation and arrest and translate it into something bigger. Our singular goal is to clean up the show world of Tennessee walking horse competitions, restore integrity to the sport, and put an end to all soring.
Soring is an archaic, barbaric, unnecessary practice. It’s also a crime, and in this case, the law has spoken. Other scofflaw trainers disregard this message at their peril, but also at the peril of their entire industry. The industry should be working with us to root out this corruption.
So far so good, now he should be sent to prison for a very long time! Thanks Lynn.
-- Judge Harry S. Mattice! Would have been even better if McConnell had gotten 3 years in prison instead of the 3 years supervised probation!!
A passage to freedom for White Lioness Nyanga - The Petition Site www.thepetitionsite.com
Tyson and Diesel are going home!!!!! - Care2 News Network www.care2.com
LionAid | Lion Trophy Ban Campaign (UK / EU) - The Petition Site www.thepetitionsite.com
Support (3907) Stop Pets Being Sold to Research Labs - The Petition Site www.thepetitionsite.com
Mayor of Waco, Tx: Don't change the Central Texas Humane Society into a euthanasia facility www.change.org
PETITIONS & ACTIONS ~¨tდ¨r❤¨qდ¨s ✦✦✦✦✦ P E T I T I O N ✦✦✦✦✦ Stop the massacre of Pumas in Argentina!!! => http://www.thepetitionsite...
PLEASE people we need to end animal abuse!!! - The Petition Site
Hi Lynn- Got to be signed into Facebbok to sign these (I have no account over there)
So sorry, Nyack. I did get them from another Care2 member who emailed them to me from Facebook. 
All signed Lynn. Thank you.
Saving the Sumatran elephants' rainforest
Forest conservation needs brave people – like Ujok from Sepintun
Dear friends of the rainforests,
the villagers of Sepintun on the Indonesian island of Sumatra have been fighting for their rainforest for more than a year now. The state-owned timber company ALN has received a logging concession. The residents want to have their forest – which is also the habitat of some of the last Sumatran elephants – declared a conservation area.
Thanks to our petition to the Indonesian Minister of Forestry in June 2011, we were able to stop the logging for the time being. Along with experts, the natives of Sepintun went on an expedition into the rainforest in May 2012, documenting that the critically endangered Sumatran elephants live in the province of Jambi. Using cameras and GPS devices, they found a group of eight female animals.
Now the district chief in charge has agreed to declare the 3,500 hectares of “elephant forest” to be a conservation area. In addition, the land is to be mapped so that the ownership rights and traditional rights of use can finally be documented in a binding manner. We ask for donations for this important task. At a later date, the elephants are to be equipped with GPS collars so they can be monitored and protected efficiently.
Thank you for contributing to save the elephant forest of Sepintun:
https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/donate/100/sumatra-creating-a-conservation-area-in-the-elephant-forest
Thanks for being involved,
Kathrin Heidtmann
Rainforest Rescue (Rettet den Regenwald e.V.)
Clock Ticking in Effort to Protect California Bears and Bobcats from Hounding
Posted: 20 Sep 2012 11:56 AM PDT
In late August, the California Senate gave final approval to legislation authored by state senator Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, to stop the inhumane and unsporting practice of hounding bears and bobcats. For a variety of reasons, California had long withstood the trend in the West to outlaw this inhumane form of hunting; Colorado, Oregon, and Washington banned the practice in the 1990s (along with bear baiting), even as California lawmakers and voters enacted a bevy of animal protection statutes to make their state the most animal-friendly in the nation based on a wide range of policies. So I’m truly pleased to see that the days for hounding in California are numbered, especially if Gov. Jerry Brown signs S.B. 1221 within the next week.
Help protect wildlife and dogs in California.
Much of the discussion from The HSUS and others backers of the bill has focused on how unfair the final act is—a hunter, using a large pack of dogs and radio telemetry equipment to drive and corner a bear upon a tree limb, kills the poor creature who has no pathway for escape.
But to me, what’s even worse than that terrible end is the constant harassment, fear, and terror that precedes it. A pack of 20 or so hounds may chase the bear for hours, and these large-bodied animals overheat and burn an enormous amount of calories. And, again, this says nothing of the fear they must feel as the dogs go after them in what amounts to a race for their survival.
Sometimes the bear turns and fights, or the dogs may overtake the quarry. Here’s footage of one hunt where the dogs caught up to the bear, and literally tore the animal up. I caution you, it’s very difficult to watch.
This footage reminds us what’s at stake for these animals. We are so often removed from the reality and detail of such abuse. And the apologists for this cruelty try to attach some social benefit to it, or to excuse it, or they try to soften what they do—in this case, by calling it “catch-and-release” hunting, because they don’t always kill the bear! They only shoot some of them, to be sure, but they terrorize all of them by setting the dogs upon them to chase them down.
If you haven’t contacted Gov. Brown, don’t wait any longer. This atrocious form of hunting must end, and you can do your part to see that California casts it aside as other states have already done.
Action Taken to Halt Killing of Minnesota Wolves
Minnesota is poised to open its inaugural wolf-hunting season Nov. 3, selling 6,000 licenses to kill 400 wolves. On Tuesday the Center for Biological Diversity and its local partner filed suit to stop that from happening.
Minnesota's wolf-management plan says wolves won't be hunted or trapped for five years after removal of their Endangered Species Act protection. In January the wolves' protection was stripped away; state managers reneged on their five-year promise and rushed to open hunting and trapping seasons less than a year later, without allowing public comment as the law requires.
Instead the state offered only an online survey -- in which, notably, nearly 80 percent of respondents opposed the wolf hunt. Our lawsuit challenges Minnesota's failure to solicit full public comment on the rules and seeks an injunction to stop the November hunt.
Read more in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Lawsuit Seeks to Save Tiny Snails From Huge Vegas Water Grab
Four tiny springsnails living in eastern Nevada are among scores of species threatened by a proposed plan to suck up to 57 billion gallons of water per year out of the desert to feed Las Vegas sprawl. In 2010 the Center for Biological Diversity and allies petitioned under the Endangered Species Act to protect 42 species of snails, including Lake Valley, Hardy, flag and bifid duct springsnails; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the four snails "may warrant" protection, but it never issued a final decision.
The Center went to court for the springsnails last week with a lawsuit challenging the agency's failure to protect them. It's clear they need help: Scientists say the planned Las Vegas water grab could spell extinction for these tiny creatures, which need consistent groundwater flow to survive. Of course it wouldn't be snails alone that would suffer: Snails improve water quality by eating decaying matter and algae, and are an important food source for fish, birds and amphibians.
Read more in the Las Vegas Sun.
Center Op-ed: Three Reasons to Save 'Nemo'
The latest version of Finding Nemo raked in $17 million at the box office last weekend, but the real-life orange clownfish that inspired the movie is in serious trouble. Last week the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned to get Endangered Species Act protection for the clownfish and other species of coral-dependent damselfish threatened by ocean acidification.
In an op-ed in The Huffington Post on Wednesday, Center Oceans Director Miyoko Sakashita laid out the top three reasons these species need our help and need it soon: "From the oceans' depths to the North Pole, our planet teems with wonders. But that amazing biodiversity is buckling. More than a third of Earth's animal and plant species will be on the road to extinction by mid-century if we don't get a handle on climate change. Wildlife just can't adapt quickly enough to deal with the rapid changes caused by man-made global warming."
Read more in The Huffington Post.
Suit Filed to Save Southeastern Birds, Crayfish and Turtles
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit this week against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to protect three Southeast species: coastal birds called black rails, Big Blue Springs cave crayfish and Barbour's map turtles. The animals live in different parts of the Southeast, from Florida to Georgia and Alabama; black rails are migratory and fly north, along with South Florida's human snowbirds, when winter ends.
The birds and crayfish depend on Florida's freshwater and wetland habitats, degraded by pollution, development and water consumption. Rails are also threatened by sea-level rise due to climate change. Barbour's map turtles are being driven toward extinction by illegal collection, as well as pollution, dredging and disease. They're striking to look at, with spiky shells and black-and-yellow stripes on their skin.
Read more in our press releases about the rails, crayfish and turtles.
Year's Rock Bottom Reached for Arctic Sea Ice
It looks like Arctic sea ice has finally bottomed out for 2012. The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported Wednesday that the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic was just 1.32 million square miles -- nearly half the average size of summer ice between 1979 and 2000 and the lowest since satellite record-keeping began in 1979. The data center's announcement, which is still preliminary, is the latest evidence of the long and disturbing downward spiral for Arctic sea ice.
Disappearing sea ice is a deeply troubling sign of the world's climate crisis. Arctic ice is critical to regulating the global climate because it reflects the sun's energy back into space and keeps the polar region cool. The loss of Arctic sea ice has been linked to the increasing frequency of extreme weather such as droughts, floods and heat waves that have devastated the United States. Loss of sea ice also poses acute threats to Arctic species that depend on it for their survival, including polar bears, ice seals and walruses. If we're going to reverse this trend -- for the Arctic and the rest of the planet -- we've got to start rapidly reducing carbon, methane and other pollutants driving climate change.
Read more in our press release.
Suit Filed to Save Colorado State Fish From Death by ORV
Off-road vehicles are severely eroding land adjacent to Bear Creek, one of the last remaining habitats for greenback cutthroat trout in Colorado's Pike and San Isabel National Forest. The Center for Biological Diversity just sued the national forest to protect the state fish from dangerous runoff, which is harming water quality and filling in the deep pools the fish use to survive winters and droughts and hide from predators.
Cutthroat trout are declining statewide, and the motorized trails, by the agency's own admission, are destroying habitat for the greenbacks, which have been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1978. What makes the trails illegal is that the national forest never consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to check if rampant ORV activity would harm species like the greenback.
"The Forest Service has known for years it has a serious ORV erosion problem at Bear Creek," said Center Attorney Tim Ream. "This beautiful cutthroat, the state fish, is a unique piece of the identity and history of Colorado -- it's hard to understand why it's being treated this way."
Read more in our press release.
Two foals -- one trying to come into the world for the first time, the other merely trying to find the strength to stand.
Last Thursday, The Humane Society of the United States and Dusty Trails Horse Rescue were called in to assist in removing nine horses in critical condition from a property in Crenshaw County, Alabama, including a pregnant mare and a foal, physically unable to stand, around 5 or 6 months old.
These nine horses were at death’s door when we got to them -- suffering from starvation, founder, mouth injuries, fresh wounds, and embedded halters.
The Crenshaw County Sheriff has asked for The HSUS’s assistance to fund veterinary, boarding, and transport costs. It will cost us approximately $8,000 to pay for the emergency care of these horses -- will you help us raise the funds this week? Your donation will not only help these horses, but also aid in other cruelty and disaster response.
Within 24 hours of the rescue, the downed foal was up on his feet and the pregnant mare gave birth. The horses -- 10 now with the new baby -- are safe, but they need a lot more help. Your donation today will provide relief for these emaciated horses -- and support all of our ongoing rescue efforts.
These animals were defenseless against their misfortune. They put their trust and safety in the hands of their caregivers -- and, in this case, they were let down. Three people were arrested for cruelty on the day of the seizure, but our efforts cannot end there.
Any animal lover would be shaken by this gruesome story. But, if you have ever been fortunate enough to have a special bond with a horse -- or any animal -- then you know firsthand why we do what we do for animals.
It is only because of your compassion that our work at The HSUS is possible. Thank you, sincerely, for being a voice for the animals. 
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
10 Endangered Animals You Never Even Knew Existed
From a list of the 100 most threatened species in the world, we've selected 10 animals we would hate to never see again. Since we share this planet with other amazing creatures and have the power to make a difference, let’s try to do what we can to save them. How would you feel if some some other species deemed you “worthless?" Read More >>
Canadian artist k-os sits down with PETA for an exclusive interview to discuss the importance of speaking up for animals. He reminds us to relate to who is on our plate and never be silent in the face of abuse and exploitation. Check it out!
Tell USDA To Quit Stalling On Elephant Protection
The USDA has been dragging its feet on the updated 2010 Guidelines for the Control of Tuberculosis in Elephants, which are key to protecting elephants and the public from the spread of this dreadful disease. It's been almost two years since these scientifically-based guidelines were proposed, and the agency has failed to move them forward.
Special interests, especially circuses, are doing everything they can to slow down or even stop implementation of the guidelines because it can affect their use of elephants in performances and for rides. With all captive elephants there is a risk of TB. It is believed that 12% of Asian elephants (the species mainly used in circuses) are infected with the disease – in humans this would constitute an epidemic.
The form of TB carried by elephants is transmissible to humans and from one elephant to another, and it is very difficult to detect. Click here to send a message to the USDA, urging the agency to accelerate publication and implementation of the 2010 tuberculosis guidelines.
Please Make One Phone Call To Ban Gas Chambers
A few weeks ago we asked you to send an e-mail to Congress about the use of gas chambers to kill animals in shelters, and over 10,000 of you responded. Thank you! This week we're asking you to make one phone call.
Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia, co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, has introduced House Resolution 736, expressing opposition to the use of gas chambers and supporting state laws to ban them. Click here and enter your zip code to find the phone number of your U.S. Representative (Congressperson). Then call him/her and say: "As your constituent and a voter, I'm asking you to please support House Resolution 736 to get rid of gas chambers in animal shelters." That's all you need to say, but if you want more talking points or want to send an e-mail instead, click here. Thank you!
Thank you fot the news Lynn.
Earlier this summer, Audubon enlisted your support in a battle to stop drilling for oil in the fragile habitats of the Arctic Ocean. I am delighted to report that Shell has backed off efforts to drill for oil in the Arctic this year. This is a critical reprieve for the birds, polar bears and other wildlife that call the region home, but the fight is far from over.
In many ways, Shell turned out to be its own worst enemy. The latest snafu involved the Arctic Challenger, the problem-plagued emergency response ship. In a simulated spill exercise earlier this week, an underwater accident damaged the equipment that is supposed to contain a spill during a real emergency. And that’s just the latest in a long string of accidents and problems, from drifting ships, to violating air pollution guidelines, to asteroid-sized ice floes that caused Shell to suspend its early efforts.
Your actions created a public climate that made it impossible for Shell to press ahead following its nearly endless string of errors and missteps. To all of you who donated, took action, and spread the word about Shell’s campaign to plunder the Arctic, thank you.
It should now be obvious that offshore drilling in the Arctic is complex and perilous. The rush to tap every source of oil must not trump common sense and basic protections for our communities, waters, and wildlife.
That’s why Audubon has gone to court to force the federal government to halt Arctic Ocean drilling. It’s also why several huge oil companies including BP pulled out of the Arctic drilling sweepstakes earlier this year.
But Shell’s decision is a reprieve, not a permanent solution. The company has every intention of bringing the drill rigs back to the Arctic Ocean next summer. Not if we can help it. Audubon, with your help, is committed to protecting the precious habitat which serves as the summer home to billions of breeding birds from around the world. We must continue to stand together.
I will be reaching out to you again next year on this issue; until then thank you for all you have done to protect one of the world’s most critical bird nurseries.
Thanks for your help,
110 Chimpanzees from New Iberia Research Center Will Be Safe from Testing
Posted: 21 Sep 2012 10:45 AM PDT
Today, we received a telling sign that the United States will soon see the end of invasive experiments on chimpanzees, bringing to a close a long, sad, and inhumane chapter in the history of American science and public health. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), spoke with me this morning to tell me about NIH’s plan to move all of the government-owned chimpanzees out of the New Iberia Research Center—the site of a 2009 HSUS undercover investigation that exposed bad human behavior and poor conditions for chimpanzees.
Take action to help more chimps.
The NIH has decided that all 110 federally-owned chimpanzees will be removed from New Iberia by August of 2013. The agency plans to move 10 chimpanzees to Chimp Haven (a sanctuary in Keithville, La.) and approximately 100 others to the Southwest National Primate Research Center—a laboratory in San Antonio, Texas. NIH will be classifying all of these chimpanzees as &ldquo
ermanently ineligible” for use in research, so there’s no risk that these chimps moved to Texas would be placed back into research.
This is an exciting and welcome step in the right direction. The intended transfer will directly affect the lives of about one-fifth of all government-owned chimps in labs. But the long-term solution is to get every last one of the chimps out of labs and to provide these animals with richly deserved permanent retirement in sanctuaries. Dr. Collins welcomed our offer to work with the agency on creating greater sanctuary capacity. NIH currently has a working group examining the future of chimpanzee research and the fate of all government-supported chimpanzees. We will continue to push the working group to recommend that every government-owned chimpanzee be retired to sanctuary.
We’ve been campaigning on behalf of these chimpanzees for a few years now, and the pivotal moment in this debate was the release last December of a report by the Institute of Medicine (commissioned by Dr. Collins) concluding that the use of chimps is “largely unnecessary” for human health purposes and that there are validated alternatives for the types of experiments they are now subjected to.
We hope that Dr. Collins’ announcement will give added momentum to the effort in Congress to enact the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act by the end of the year. This legislation, which has broad bipartisan support, would phase out invasive research on chimpanzees and retire government-owned chimpanzees to sanctuary—while saving taxpayers about $25 million per year.
Chimps are our closest living relatives. We can thrive as a species without subjecting them to invasive experiments. And by getting them out of labs and ending invasive experiments, we’ll make a greater claim for the humanity of our species.
A harmful bill (S. 3525) is moving quickly through the Senate that, if passed, would undo years of protection for polar bears, and would continue to put millions of animals and people at risk for lead poisoning. The so-called "Sportsmen's Act of 2012" seeks to indulge a small group of wealthy trophy hunters who want to import sport-hunted polar bear trophies from Canada just to have a head or hide of this threatened animal in their living room; and strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its ability to protect wildlife and people from lead poisoning.
This dangerous and costly bill would encourage more killing of endangered and threatened species around the globe, and would block wildlife professionals from making decisions based on sound science.
This bill could be voted on at any time today and through the weekend. Please make a brief, polite phone call now to your Senators Bill Nelson (202) 224-5274 and Marco Rubio (202) 224-3041, and urge them to oppose S. 3525. And don't forget to send a follow-up message.
Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO
Thanks Lynn- Happy World Rhino Day
You too, Nyack! This is for all of you to watch....a magnificent video called "Saving Valentina". Enjoy!
video:http://www.youtube.com/embed/EBYPlcSD490?rel=0
Awesome rescue...thanks for posting, Lynn
It goes to show you, that despite so many people who abuse and kill these magnificent creatures, there are some heroic people trying and succeeding in rescuing these whales from certain death.
Thanks for the video Lynn. did enjot it.
More Progress on Gestation Crates, and Uncovering the 'Ham Scam'
Posted: 25 Sep 2012 01:18 PM PDT
It is an axiom in the world of business management that “the customer is always right.” The pork sector apparently doesn’t subscribe to that principle. The industry’s leadership continues to deride its biggest buyers, most of which are declaring that they want to eliminate gestation crate confinement of pigs in their supply chains.
Case in point: This week, Nebraska-based ConAgra became the latest food industry giant to announce that it will become gestation crate-free, in making a cooperative announcement with The HSUS. In response to this news, Steve Nelson, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, slammed the company: “This pressure is coming from people that don’t understand how animals should be cared for.” You’d think that with the biggest names in the food retail world making similar announcements—including McDonald’s, Burger King, Safeway, Costco, and more—the pork industry would wake up and start recognizing just how far out of step it is with mainstream American values about how animals ought to be treated. Put simply, most Americans know that it’s cruel to lock a 500-pound, social, intelligent animal in a cage barely larger than her own body, immobilizing her.
The HSUS
Many companies are moving to phase out cramped
gestation crates for breeding sows.
Nelson even howled, “The use of gestation crates is really a better way to care for hogs than to care in other methods.” So much for the industry’s respect for science, which is clear that gestation crate confinement is a terrible way to treat these animals. Renowned animal scientist Dr. Temple Grandin puts it bluntly when she says of gestation crates, “Confining an animal for most of its life in a box in which it is not able to turn around does not provide a decent life.”
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is so out of synch with trends in agriculture that it not only defends immobilizing pigs in tiny cages for essentially their whole lives, but it’s actively lobbying to kill federal legislation to improve the treatment of egg-laying hens, despite the fact that the bill is backed by the egg industry’s leadership and would have no impact on the pork industry.
It’s partly for that reason that The Humane Society of the United States yesterday filed a lawsuit along with an independent pig farmer and on behalf of HSUS pig farmer members in federal district court, charging that the National Pork Board struck an unlawful backroom deal with the NPPC for the purchase of the iconic “Pork: The Other White Meat” slogan. This “ham scam” of a deal allows $60 million in pork producers’ money collected for marketing purposes to be diverted into industry lobbying efforts aimed at harming animal welfare and small farmers.
While we can’t force NPPC to care about animals or family farmers, through this lawsuit we can work to stop money from being unlawfully funneled straight to its lobbyists who work to kill essentially any legislation aimed at preventing cruelty to animals.
I’m heartened that some industry insiders are starting to get the message about wayward practices in the pork sector. Meat & Poultry magazine ran a major feature on The HSUS’s campaign to end the use of gestation crates this month. Its editors certainly see where the future is headed far more clearly than the NPPC and Nebraska Farm Bureau are able to do. Rather than trying to excuse the abuse inherent in gestation crate systems, the magazine’s editors declared to a seemingly reluctant industry: “This is no longer a debate about the viabilit
You can help protect hundreds of captive bears across the country by calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement bear-specific regulations that take bears' intelligence, curiosity, and complex environmental needs into account.
Bears, who have natural ranges of up to thousands of miles in the wild, are being kept in cramped cages and concrete pits at deplorable roadside facilities across the country that disregard the bears' most basic needs. Last month, a North Carolina judge found that the desolate conditions under which a bear named Ben was being kept at Jambbas Ranch constituted cruelty to animals. Luckily, Ben's story had a happy ending, and he is now living in a 2-acre natural habitat.
Unfortunately, many bears are still languishing at roadside zoos. They spend most of their waking hours pacing, head-butting the cages, and engaging in other abnormal behavior that is indicative of suffering—all because the USDA currently fails to ensure that the space, enrichment, dietary, and behavioral needs of captive bears are met.
Please click here to contact Chester Gipson right away, and join PETA in calling on the USDA to implement bear-specific regulations.
Thank you for caring and for taking action!
Yours truly,
Delcianna Winders
Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Thank you Lynn
Noted All your Worthy News Signed if I had not already, and Viewed Valentina's Rescue and Release Thnx Lynn, You are soooo Super in All you do and Contribute to Our Beloved Animals and US tooo ) ) ) ..
Don't be fooled by Crystal the monkey's "smile" on NBC's new show, Animal Practice! It's actually an expression that typically indicates fear or aggression in capuchin monkeys.
But we know that you care about animals too much to be watching Crystal be exploited for cheap laughs on TV. So here's a comedy that you can enjoy: PETA's hilarious new ads, created by the ad firm Y&R New York, that poke fun at those in showbiz who think it's funny to put a monkey in a lab coat or a dress. Check out "Wild Animal Agent" now!
Do your part to help animals by refusing to watch NBC's Animal Practice and take a moment to voice your concerns by clicking here to contact the chair of NBC Entertainment, Robert Greenblatt, right now.
Thank you for your compassion.
Sincerely,
Bringing Hope to 139 Dogs, Cats, Horses, and Birds in North Carolina
Posted: 27 Sep 2012 03:59 PM PDT
There’s never a respite for our Animal Rescue Team. This Tuesday, the Humane Society of the United States’ ART helped animal control officers and local groups in Person County, N.C., save more than 130 animals from miserable conditions in a hoarding situation.
Roberta Wall, co-founder of Susie's Law,
helping with the rescue.
Kimberley Alboum, our North Carolina state director, described trash littering the property and the inside of a trailer and two outbuildings. Inside the buildings, about 60 dogs ranging from Chihuahuas to American Staffordshire terriers were confined in wooden boxes soaked with urine. Rescuers also found cats and a litter of kittens, as well as parakeets and other birds. Alboum said that this rescue was emotionally traumatic even for our experienced HSUS staff and volunteers because of “the hopeless look on the face of the animals when we arrived.”
The owners were apparently selling some puppies over the Internet. “These animals were not only living in absolute garbage and filth, but they were breeding,” Alboum said.
This was yet another case in North Carolina where stronger policies could have helped authorities stop these cruel conditions earlier. In a separate setting, close by the hoarding site, we also helped rescue almost 40 horses and ponies, many of them seriously underweight. The Guilford County Animal Shelter, Saving Grace Animal Adoptions, Faithful Friends Animal Sanctuary, Safe Haven Equine Rescue & Retirement, Paws Ranch, Central Virginia Horse Rescue, and Allen’s Place also helped remove animals from the property.
Local officials have arrested the owners, who agreed to surrender custody of the animals. After about 10 hours of work on the property, our amazing network of Emergency Placement Partners and equine rescue groups had picked up all the dogs, cats, horses, and birds. Now, these formerly neglected creatures finally have a brighter future, and freedom from the suffering and neglect that had been their lot.
Thanks for all you do Lynn.
Thanks Lynn! 
NIH Frees Some Chimpanzees In Labs, But Over 400 Still Need Your Help
In a move that stunned and delighted many in the animal protection movement, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins announced on September 21 that the NIH will retire 110 (out of 563) chimpanzees from invasive research. These 110 are housed at New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana. They are now going to be made permanently ineligible for future use in biomedical research.
But the news was tempered by the announcement that only ten of the 110 chimpanzees would be sent to a sanctuary, the federally-funded Chimp Haven in Keithsville, Louisiana. The remaining 100 chimpanzees are scheduled to go to the Texas Biomedical Research Institute (TBRI) in San Antonio, and though they are prevented from being used in experiments, they will still be housed in a laboratory. Of significant concern is that the TBRI has been charged earlier this year for multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
These events highlight the need for the passage of the federal Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act (HR 1513/S.810) which would ban the use of chimpanzees in invasive research and mandate their retirement to sanctuaries, not laboratories. IDA has a long-standing history of fighting to expose the abuse of chimpanzees in laboratories and calling for their retirement to sanctuary.
U.S. residents only, please click here to send a fax to your U.S. Senators.
"Juliette's Journey" Documents A Young Warrior For Elephants
"Juliette's Journey" is a five minute mini-documentary presented by IDA that follows one inspirational teenager's mission to end the suffering of elephants in captivity and educate the next generation.
Juliette West, 14, first took action for elephants when she participated in IDA's campaign to free Billy from the Los Angeles Zoo. She later partnered with filmmaker Tim Gorski to make "How I Became An Elephant," the powerful story of Juliette's rescue of an abused elephant in Thailand, with Asia's legendary "Elephant Lady" Lek Chailert.
Juliette continues her fight for the elephants, working with IDA to reach new audiences and inform young and old alike of the abuse of elephants in zoos and circuses. Click here to view "Juliette's Journey" and then help us end the suffering of elephants around the world by contributing to IDA's Elephant Protection Fund.
Two Important California Legislative Victories This Week
Thanks in part to the letter-writing and other activism of IDA supporters in California, together with substantial work by other organizations, California Governor Jerry Brown signed two important laws to protect animals this week.
SB 1221, authored by Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) will outlaw the use of dogs in bear and bobcat hunting in California. "Hounding" involves trophy hunters using packs of radio-collared dogs to chase down bears and bobcats, then the hunter shoots the terrified animal off a tree branch. IDA's California members wrote over 3,300 letters and e-mails in support of SB 1221. IDA also coordinated getting activists to the Capitol in Sacramento to speak at hearings.
SB 1229 is a new California law that prohibits landlords from requiring tenants to declaw or devocalize (debark) their animals as a condition of occupancy. California is the first state in the nation to enact such important humane legislation. The bill was introduced by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) and the battle for it's passage was led by Paw Project and and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. IDA was proud to support SB 1229 and asked our members to contact California Governor Brown in support of the bill. And before Governor Brown was in office, thousands of our supporters wrote to former Governor Schwarzenegger about this issue.
Thank you, and please keep these victories in mind next time you're asked to speak up on animal protection legislation. Sometimes our representatives listen, and when they do, the animals win.
IDA Offers More Rewards In Animal Cruelty Cases
This week IDA continued our efforts to catch animal abusers by offering three new rewards totaling $7,500 in animal cruelty cases. In Georgia, we offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever starved a puppy named Xena nearly to death, and then abandoned her in DeKalb County. In New Brunswick, New Jersey, IDA offered a $2,500 reward in the case of a tortured family dog named Ridge who was abducted and used as bait for dogfighting. And in Chester County, Pennsylvania, we offered a $2,500 reward to catch and convict whomever set on fire a caged pit bull mix.
110 research chimps get a new lease on life as they go into retirement, but what does it mean for the future of great ape testing in the United States? (Photo: Joel Sartore/Getty Images) Read More >>
Shark Reportedly Saves Man Lost at Sea
Stunning Photos: Husband and Wife Live With Idaho Wolfpack for 6 Years
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Testing! Testing!
I swear Care2 is going to make me start drinking. Lost my groups again.
Ok looks like I can try and play catch up here. Sigh!
Wecome Back, Ellem
This was posted in one of my other groups. Please watch and enjoy! Symphony of Whales http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMxbfF-VYHw&feature=related
there are shocking reports coming out of Pakistan of the abuse of Australian exported sheep that require urgent attention. Those who sanction this trade need to be called to account — now. If there is one thing you do today, PLEASE CALL YOUR MP and demand an end to live export.
"If the Australians find out how the sheep were killed — the stabbing, the clubbing and the burying alive — they will definitely ban animal exports to Pakistan."
"Like a giant mass of wool, bloodied and filthy, they lay in trenches — slit open, stabbed or clubbed to death, while many still wriggled with some life left in them, soon to be buried alive.""I have watched the video and let me tell you that ever since I have seen those gruesome visuals, I haven't eaten or slept. Regardless of whether they were healthy or not, the way they were killed or buried alive is neither humane, nor Islamic."
We are their voice,
Thnx for All the Great Newsie News Lynn Noted and signed where I hadn't already, Watched Juliettes Video (Wonderful)...Barb E.
Endangered sea turtles crushed, stressed and diseased. Living with open wounds in waste-filled waters, they fight for food, bite each other and even resort to cannibalism. Welcome to the Cayman Turtle Farm. 
A recent WSPA undercover investigation at the popular tourist attraction revealed these disturbing conditions and much more.
Help us end this nightmare now.
This horrific animal neglect and cruelty is all in pursuit of profit. While a few lucky sea turtles are released into the wild, far more will be slaughtered by the farm and sold as steaks or burgers to visiting tourists.
Take action now. Please join our campaign to end sea turtle cruelty at the Cayman Turtle Farm. Together, we can end the suffering of thousands of sea turtles who are living in these prison-like conditions.
Thank you for all you do to help animals in need.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Hogan
Campaign Manager for Oceans & Wildlife
WSPA USA
View this email online 
http://awf.org/landing/2012-10/rhino_horn_infographic.html The future of the rhino is in jeopardy.
But in order to help, you need the facts.
The Cruel Trade in Beluga Whales Needs to End
Posted: 15 Oct 2012 04:36 PM PDT
On Friday, the National Marine Fisheries Service held a public hearing for a permit application by Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium to import 18 wild-caught beluga whales from Russia. Educators, researchers, a former SeaWorld trainer, animal advocates, homemakers, a TV producer, a pilot, lawyers, and social workers spoke out against the import request.
Help protect whales by taking action.
The Humane Society of the United States’ Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist, and several others speaking against the permit focused on aspects of the import proposal that will violate the law, or run counter to sound conservation principles. The rest spoke passionately and personally about their belief that confining these magnificent white whales in small tanks thousands of miles from their Arctic home is inhumane and wrong.
The speakers favoring the proposal came principally from the zoo and aquarium community—employees of the Georgia Aquarium, the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, or the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, as well as several Atlanta educators. Most of these speakers seemed to think this was a referendum on the public display of whales and dolphins—they focused on the Aquarium’s education program, the bond people form with the belugas at the facility, and all the other supposed practical benefits of people connecting with wildlife in an urban setting. They omitted mention of the whales languishing in a holding facility on the Black Sea, where they were sent after their capture—4,000 miles from their home in the Sea of Okhotsk. And they did not address the trauma the whales suffered by being wrestled away from their family groups by men wielding nets and ropes, oblivious and uncaring of the social bonds being destroyed.
Make no mistake: this import proposal is not about the Georgia Aquarium’s research or public education. It is not about the value of zoos and aquariums to society. It is not even—sadly enough—about the 18 whales in Russia. Those animals were doomed to a life in captivity as soon as they were captured at the request of the Georgia Aquarium—if they don’t come to the United States, they will go somewhere else, like China, Egypt, or Turkey.
This import proposal is really about the trade in live whales from the Sea of Okhotsk, a region also affected by unsustainable hunting and climate change. It is about the capture of 21 belugas on average every year from this population since 2000 (that’s more than 250 whales) by a company that doesn’t care who its customers are or whether it is decimating beluga families by conducting its captures in the same location year after year. It is about the hundreds of whales who might be saved in the years ahead from a similar fate if we can stop this trade.
The United States must not become a market for these whales. It’s about global supply and demand, and the only way we get these captures to stop is to shut down purchases of these animals. The HSUS’s international arm, Humane Society International, is working in China to end the demand for live belugas there. We must ask the same of the United States, which has not allowed imports of marine mammals deliberately captured for public display by U.S. facilities for more than two decades.
The Georgia Aquarium and its partners in this application, SeaWorld and the John G. Shedd and Mystic Aquariums, have become part of the problem by buying these 18 whales. They have attempted to cast this inhumane decision as an act of conservation, but the National Marine Fisheries Service must not allow this self-serving rationale to prevail. We as a nation, and the zoo and aquarium industry in particular, must hit the reset button and begin to exhibit a zero-tolerance policy for capturing and trading whales for captive display.
Melody Migrates: Part 1 
The Journey Begins
At Audubon, October is plover month. This installment is the first in our five-part series following a fictional plover, Melody, along her first migration. Only 8,000 Piping Plovers remain in the wild. Follow Melody's journey and visit our interactive story map to learn more about Piping Plovers and what you can do to help shorebirds and their habitats everywhere.
Meet Melody
Meet Melody, a Piping Plover with problems. It's been just over a month since Melody hatched from a small speckled egg no larger than a golf ball. Originally one of three chicks, Melody is already on her own. Her newly hatched sister and brother were killed by raccoons, and though Melody survived, more threats face her in the year ahead... Read More
Audubon Plover Heroes Help Melody Along Her Way
"I monitor nests until they hatch or fail, and then I monitor chicks until they disappear or fledge. 'Fledging' means that the chicks are able to fly and is the true measure of reproductive success, and for me, a huge sense of relief and joy."
The HSUS to Sue to Reverse De-Listing of Wolves in Great Lakes
Posted: 16 Oct 2012 01:54 PM PDT
Yesterday, on the same day that The HSUS and The Fund for Animals announced their intention to sue the federal government to reverse its decision to prematurely remove wolves from the list of protected species, trophy hunters killed at least four wolves on the opening day of the first wolf season in Wisconsin in decades. Minnesota’s hunting and trapping season is set to launch on Nov. 3. Wisconsin awarded 1,160 permits through a lottery, and Minnesota awarded 6,000 permits. Both states issued more hunting permits than there are wolves within their boundaries
Hunters began killing wolves this week in Wisconsin.
If there was any doubt about the intentions of the hunters involved, an Associated Press story written by Steve Karnowski and Todd Richmond made them plain. The reporters talked to hunters about why they bought wolf hunting permits.
Joe Caputo of Spring Green, Wis., plans to pay more than $3,000 for two dozen new wolf traps, and he said killing a wolf “is the ultimate challenge…You’re talking the largest-scale predator on the landscape.”
Beverly Kiger, a trophy hunter from Grand Rapids, Minn., wants to add a full-size wolf mount to her collection. She told the Associated Press reporter, “To get a (wolf) as a trophy would be awesome.”
Mark Dahms of Waukesha, Wis., said he plans on using an electronic calling device with 400 sounds mimicking wolves and distressed animals. “First time in modern-day history is why I entered,” he said. “The big thing is (getting) the hide.”
The HSUS's legal claims rest on the notion that state authorities have developed reckless plans, enabled by state lawmakers who rushed to approve hunting and trapping seasons. But on the moral case, it’s plain that this hunt is wrong, and there’s nothing to justify it on practical grounds either. It’s not about killing for food, since nobody eats wolves. It’s not about management, since state and federal law already allows the targeting of individual wolves who threaten livestock or public safety. And it’s not about protecting ecological systems, since a robust presence of wolves has a beneficial cascade effect through the ecosystem.
It’s really about killing for fun, and killing individuals of a species whose ancient ancestors warily took the first steps of friendship toward humans 15,000 years ago, ultimately leading to the domestication of dogs and changing the entire human experience for the better.
Ducks held in captivity experience water for the first time!
This group of ducks was rescued from the home of a hoarder, a person who collected animals and objects because of a mental condition. They have never seen water before, so their rescuers introduce them to their natural habitat - with awesome results!
http://www.godvine.com/Ducks-Held-in-Captivity-Experience-Water-for-the-First-Time-2199.html
Absolutely LOVE the video of the ducks experiencing a swim for the first time!!
Thanks Lynn! Great to see you as always and your terrific posts!
Thanks Lynn, great posts as always.
Californians Can Protect Animals and Support Law Enforcement by Passing Proposition 30
Posted: 17 Oct 2012 11:38 AM PDT
At The HSUS, we spend a lot of energy working to secure the passage of meaningful reforms to state laws around the country—believing that when the laws reflect our values, animals not only benefit, but that our society becomes increasingly more humane.
Gov. Brown's dog, Sutter, barks Yes on Prop 30.
But for our animal protection laws to be meaningful, they have to be enforced. We have to have enough funding for police to investigate cruelty and make arrests, for humane law enforcement officers to act on complaints of cruelty and neglect, for wardens to go after wildlife poachers, and for prosecutors to bring cruelty cases to justice and hold offenders accountable.
California is surely not the only state to have suffered from serious budget crises causing drastic reductions in public safety funding, but it’s one where voters have an opportunity right now to forestall another round of cuts.
That’s why The HSUS has endorsed Proposition 30, the Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act. Passage of Prop 30, championed by Gov. Jerry Brown, is critical for providing support to law enforcement to properly combat poaching, animal cruelty, and other crimes in California.
Prop 30 proposes to generate $6 billion in revenues and to establish a guarantee for public safety funding in the state constitution, a guarantee of support which could only be reduced by voter approval. If Prop 30 passes, it would halt $6 billion worth of “trigger” cuts adopted by lawmakers in the current year’s budget—including approximately $25 million worth of cuts to programs affecting law enforcement generally and wildlife and habitat protection specifically.
In just the past few years, Californians have successfully lobbied their elected officials to upgrade the state’s animal protection laws. Since January 2009, not long after voters approved Proposition 2, The HSUS—backed by humane citizens—has weighed in on 62 pieces of legislation (55 supported and 7 opposed). Together, we have changed the legal landscape for animal protection in California, and now it’s vital we work to enforce these laws.
The HSUS has worked with great energy to support these measures. Perhaps most notably, we helped to persuade a majority of the legislature and Gov. Brown to ban the shark fin trade, make California the 14th state to prohibit the cruel and unnecessary use of packs of dogs to pursue bears and bobcats. But without the funds for proper enforcement—and with a state forced to take $6 billion of additional cuts—we’ll be falling short of our actual goals of helping to prevent cruelty.
California already has the lowest ratio of wardens per capita in the country&mdashatrolling vast amounts of wilderness with fewer and fewer law enforcement resources. And the HSUS is doing what we can, providing funding for the past four years in support of the Department of Fish and Game’s K9 program, where trained dogs assist wardens in the investigation of poaching and pollution crimes and apprehension of criminals. We offer rewards for successful prosecution of poachers. Recently, The HSUS coordinated with state and federal law enforcement agencies in the successful “Operation Cyberwild” to provide information leading to the arrest of traffickers peddling illegal wildlife parts.
Californians, as you cast your ballot, please vote in favor of Proposition 30 to stop millions of dollars of cuts to programs critical to enforcing your state’s strong animal protection laws. And if you live outside California, our website also has information on bills to help animals in your state.
Thanks for all the news and videos Lynn.
Get up off the chair and start dancing with the owls.
video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-6lNuNI7uQM
Late last week, our team in Costa Rica was on the scene to rescue nearly 30 dogs from the filthy and inhumane conditions of an alleged breeding operation of fighting dogs. While that might not sound like a huge number, this is the largest raid of its kind in the country, as efforts to take on the dogfighting industry are significantly stepped up.
What we found was heartbreaking: Mostly adult dogs living in isolation at the end of chains in barren makeshift enclosures. Luckily for the six puppies we rescued, a few as young as two weeks old, they'll never experience what their parents have been through.
Too often, the fate of these animals is death, which may come at the hands of the humans who force them to fight them or from their fatal wounds.
Drugs, guns, and even murder are as much a part of the operations as the dog fights themselves. It’s a cruel and dangerous world, one that these dogs are forced to endure.
As always, I'm grateful for all you do for animals.
Sincerely,
Andrew Rowan
President and CEO
Humane Society International
One Year After Zanesville Tragedy, Humane Groups Ask USDA to Ban Public Contact with Dangerous Wild Animals
Posted: 18 Oct 2012 01:36 PM PDT
One year ago today, in Zanesville, Ohio, Terry Thompson released nearly 50 tigers, lions, bears, primates, and other animals from cages at his private menagerie, and then he took his own life—leaving a scene of chaos and confusion for law enforcement officials. With dusk approaching, the local sheriff made a decision to authorize the killing of the free-roaming animals, as a matter of protecting human safety. Professionals did tranquilize a half-dozen animals.
That awful drama was just one in a string of horrible incidents involving powerful wild animals being kept as pets in Ohio in recent years. But it was so over the top and so tragic that Ohio lawmakers could no longer turn down our pleas to enact a comprehensive statewide statute to forbid private citizens from acquiring these animals as pets or roadside attractions. The legislature, prodded by Gov. John Kasich, passed a strong law, and that statute took effect in September.
Alabama, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are now the only remaining states that have no rules on keeping dangerous animals. And many other states have loopholes that allow private citizens to keep dangerous wild animals for a variety of purposes.
Nationwide, The HSUS has uncovered evidence that at least 70 exhibitors currently or recently engaged in the harmful practice of allowing the public to handle big cats, bears, and/or primates. Records also show that extraordinarily young animals, such as tigers who are only a few days old, are being transported to and by exhibitors for purposes of public handling.
For fees ranging from $10 to $500, members of the public can pet, feed, train, pose with, play with, and even swim with wild and exotic animals. After just a few months, many of the animals are discarded at poorly run roadside zoos, pseudo-sanctuaries, or the exotic pet trade. Some animals used temporarily for public handling, such as black bears and African lions, may even be slaughtered for the exotic meat market. Breeders and dealers keep churning out babies to fuel this business.
Today, The HSUS, World Wildlife Fund, International Fund for Animal Welfare, The Fund for Animals, Born Free USA, Big Cat Rescue, and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries filed a legal petition asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prohibit public contact with big cats, bears, and primates under the Animal Welfare Act, regardless of the animals’ age. While exhibition is regulated by the USDA, public handling of these animals is largely unmonitored. USDA enforcement policies currently allow the harmful practice of handling infant animals to flourish.
To facilitate public handling, the animals are separated from their mothers shortly after birth—a cruel and unhealthy practice that can lead to lifelong physical and psychological problems and even death. Young animals with weak immune systems may be exposed to deadly diseases and subjected to stressful conditions associated with transport, rough and excessive public handling, as well as physical abuse from handlers attempting to keep animals under control.
This practice puts animals at risk, endangers the public, and creates a burden for both law enforcement and sanctuaries. Accredited sanctuaries for wild animals are shouldering the burden created by an industry that continuously breeds and dumps long-lived animals with specialized, costly needs. For example, it may cost up to $10,000 per year to provide food and veterinary care for a single tiger. The total costs adds tens of millions of dollars for the animal welfare community to bear. This is an unfunded burden, and it’s just one more reason why the states and the federal government need strong policies to prevent the trade and private ownership of dangerous exotics.
Please sign our petition urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to act quickly on our proposed changes to federal rules that would put an end to the harmful practice of allowing the public to handle big cats, bears, and primates.
Watch and enjoy this amazing rescue of a baby elephant from a deep ditch.
Click here: Baby Elephant Rescued In Kenya With Rope And A Land Rover (VIDEO)
October 18, 2012
Tell Clothing Retailer Bebe To Honor Pledge To Stop Selling Fur
Clothing retailer bebe promised to go fur-free by 2008, yet they continue to sell fur. Please tell bebe's CEO that you will not shop at bebe until they go fur-free permanently!
Leading fashion retailers like Guess, J.Crew, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger have all made the compassionate decision to go fur-free. Urge bebe to join them. Click here to send an email right now.
And don't miss your chance on Fur Free Friday, November 23, to ask all retailers to stop selling fur! To lead an event, or to find an event near you, please e-mail christy@idausa.org.
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Experience A Journey To Paradise On The IDA Freedom Run
Please join IDA on an incredible journey with a beautiful, once-abused blind dog named Gandalf. We call it the "Freedom Run" - a 24-hour trek covering more than 1,300 miles and climbing through mountain passes that tower 5,000 feet above sea level – all to carry castaway animals from desperate lives of abuse and neglect, and into the waiting arms of forever families.
Click here to meet Gandalf, and learn why we're so excited about the Freedom Run.
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IDA Offers $2,500 Reward In Oregon Cat Cruelty Case
IDA has offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever brutally shot a cat with an arrow in Sandy, Oregon.
Pumpkin, a beloved companion, was shot with a hunting arrow Sunday afternoon in the woods near her family's home. Pumpkin's guardian told the Oregonian newspaper that she knew Pumpkin had been shot because of the sounds the arrow made as Pumpkin was trying to get through the cat door. "I could hear the arrow hitting against everything ... it looked horrible." Click here to read more.
Quote Of The Week - Gandhi's Grandson On IDA's Guardian Campaign
The animal protection movement includes many inspirational people, from all walks of life. We'd like to share some of their wisdom with you. This week, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson talks about IDA's Guardian Campaign, our effort to move away from objectifying language like "owner" to describe our relationships with animals.
"I am forever appalled by the way we humans tame and treat animals for our own selfish ends. In the final analysis this arrogance that we display towards "lesser" life and towards nature is going to recoil on us. I am convinced that the deterioration in our humanity is directly related to our abuse of life and nature. I think what you are attempting to do through the "Guardian Campaign" needs to be replicated all over the world. Wish you all the best." - Arun Gandhi, Grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Founder and President, M.K.Gandhi Institute
That was a REALLY amazing rescue of that baby elephant, Lynn! Thanks for posting it! And everything else
The Empire (State) Strikes Back – Against Animal Fighting
Posted: 19 Oct 2012 10:21 AM PDT
New York officially closes a major loophole in its animal fighting laws this week, and it comes months after The HSUS and our friends at the New York State Humane Association partnered to enact legislation to strip animal fighters of the necessary tools for their sickening enterprise. In effect now, the new law provides misdemeanor penalties for violators with imprisonment of up to one year and/or a fine of up to $1,000 for the possession, use, and trafficking of animal fighting paraphernalia such as specially designed, razor-sharp knives known as “slashers” that are affixed to the heels of roosters in cockfights.
Kathy Milani/The HSUS
At a cockfighting rescue in New York in 2011.
This is the latest victory in The HSUS’s effort to combat the cruel and criminal enterprise of animal fighting on every front—from lobbying for stronger laws to crack down on animal fighters, to rescuing animals, to educating youth, to providing support and training prosecuting attorneys, judges, and other law enforcement.
It is the second upgrade of the New York’s law in two years. The HSUS led a four-year effort to increase penalties—from a traffic ticket-style violation to a misdemeanor crime punishable by up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine—for animal fight spectators. Signed into law by Gov. Cuomo in 2011, it was the first major upgrade in New York’s animal fighting laws in nearly 30 years.
As the tougher law took effect, we conducted a training on investigating animal fighting and cruelty and to highlight the new law at the New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute’s 10th annual “Law Enforcement Supervisors' Training Conference” for dozens of top New York law enforcement professionals from more than 30 counties.
Meanwhile, in Congress, we have legislation to make it a federal crime to attend or bring a child to an animal fight. The Senate approved this measure as an amendment to the farm bill by a vote of 88 to 11, and the House Agriculture Committee backed a similar amendment. We are hoping to complete the job in the lame-duck session of Congress, which resumes on Nov. 13. The underlying House bill has 226 cosponsors—more than half the membership of the U.S. House.
Dog nurses feral kitten back to health
http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/dog-nurses-feral-kitten-back-to-health
Soooooooooo sweet. Thank you for sharing.
Going through what I missed. First I have to watch the baby elephant (poor babe)
Thanks Lynn.
The Sad, Savage Reality of Gorilla Poaching
For every gorilla who outwits a poacher, dozens or hundreds more perish. If you were judge and jury, what punishment would you give to gorilla poachers? Read More >>
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Six-week-old Siberian tiger cub Antares paws at the camera at a Berlin zoo in 2008. (Photo: Johannes Eisele/Reuters)
http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/10/12/earth-humans-cough-some-money-or-our-planets-species-will-die?cmpid=tpanimals-eml-2012-10-19-gorilla
Thank you Lynn
Watch this beautiful video showing momma animals with their cubs.
video:http://www.youtube.com/v/o-FVsH-tyKQ?version=3&hl=en_US
A truly wonderful video. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Lynn Long time no see, busy with my Other Groups and catching up Lol....(Sound familiar?) I usually like to wait till your Post is pretty Long and Jammed Packed with all kinds ofGoodies I really enjoy this site, it keeps me focused and calm...I have Noted everything ,signed,and sent messages where needed (some I have already done)...Enjoyed all the photos w/my 4 Yr old Granddaughter See you around...Prayers and Hugggs and xx's 2 Barb E
Great video, beautiful photos and thank you fot the news Lynn.
Wonderful!! shared in fb
Saving Nemo 
Thanks to the 2003 Disney movie Finding Nemo, you are likely familiar with clownfish, one of the ocean's cutest species. What you may not realize is that the clownfish, and many similar fish species, are in serious danger due to global warming.
As carbon emissions caused by humans increase, the ocean surface temperature rises to a dangerous point where the water begins to acidify. When ocean water become more acidic, coral reefs grow at a slower rate and sea life, like the clownfish, begins to suffer from declining food sources and habitat.
If steps are not taken soon to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, the beautiful clownfish and many other ocean-dwelling species will soon become endangered or even extinct. Let's ensure this doesn't happen by working together with government and conservation agencies to draft and implement life-saving measures!
Sign the petition today asking that the clownfish be placed on the Endangered Species List and that something is finally done to stop global warming. Take Action
Thread is getting too long. I'm going to open a new one and leave this open for awhile for everyone to catch up.
Great video Lynn!
