Wild animals face a chilling multitude of threats. At a time when so many are vulnerable to the unprecedented impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and ongoing human encroachment on shrinking habitats, imperiled animals continue to be killed for nothing more than a trophy, a prize, a pelt or a trinket. Others suffer at the hands of traffickers and breeders who want to lock them in cages for entertainment.
Our disaster relief team does not shy away from challenging conditions when it comes to helping animals and their families. In 2020, they responded to animals’ needs following the devastation wrought by Australia's wildfires, and last year they went to save animals after the earthquakes in Türkiye. The team’s experience, training and preparation make such a difference. Now our disaster relief team has deployed to Chile to help save hundreds of animals in the wake of devastating and fatal fires. Thousands of people and potentially hundreds of companion animals have been affected, suffering with burns, smoke inhalation and other injuries, with many dogs and cats displaced with or without their families. In this guest blog, Felipe Marquez, our program manager for Latin America region disaster response, shares a glimpse of the team’s work in the field.
Last week, we along with several of our shelter and rescue partners embarked on a historic operation and removed the first 432 of approximately 4,000 beagles from Envigo RMS LLC’s facility in Cumberland, Virginia, which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation. I was on hand...
In December, as temperatures began to drop, dozens of families in Tennessee started to get a friendly knock on their doors. Staff from local animal care centers were delivering doghouses with insulation, all for free. One hundred doghouses were given out as part of an innovative and collaborative strategy between our Companion Animals team, State Affairs department and Law Enforcement Training Center. Here’s the story behind it.
It was clear something awful had been happening at a residence near Fort Wayne, Indiana, just by looking at the ground. As our team assisted law enforcement in a search of the area on Nov. 3, they saw carcasses and body parts of dead animals throughout the property. And in a dilapidated barn, they...
An Indiana woman, who shared images and videos on social media that showed her torturing and graphically killing cats and dogs by hanging and skinning them, has been charged under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, a groundbreaking federal law we helped pass last year. If found guilty...
Across the nation, law enforcement officers—despite facing unprecedented challenges during the coronavirus pandemic—are hard at work to ensure that animals who need their help are neither forgotten nor left behind. Since the crisis began, our state directors have reached out to government officials...
The world is moving toward a future dominated by sophisticated methods that use human cells, tissues and organs, 3D printing, robotics, computer models and other technologies to create approaches to testing and research that do not rely on animals. These methods are often faster, less expensive and...
In one of the most pervasive inequities across the U.S., tens of millions of families with pets struggle to gain access to care and resources for their companion animals. We believe that a deep connection with pets transcends boundaries of socioeconomics, race, ethnicity and geography, and that no...
In the years since its passage more than half a century ago, the Animal Welfare Act has become an extremely important and multi-faceted animal protection law. Building on its original premise as a measure to protect animals used in research, testing and education, the AWA’s protections have evolved...
President Biden recently signed the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act (PAWS), which increases the number of service dogs available to support veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions. We’re elated at the thought that more veterans will have...
For the past five years, Pham Quoc Doanh has been making his living by running a cat meat restaurant and slaughterhouse in Thai Nguyen, Viet Nam. But the work has weighed heavily on him, especially since he knew that many of the cats brought to him by cat meat traders were stolen pets. He decided to...
A Pennsylvania court this week allowed an 18-year-old to avoid prison time for a crime that shocked Americans when a viral video of it surfaced earlier this year: in the video, the young man and his friend were seen torturing a dying deer, kicking him in the head and even ripping off his antler as...
Round 5 of Spayathon TM for Puerto Rico, a strategic initiative that aims to reduce pet overpopulation on the island, concludes today. As always, it’s been a joyful but incredibly busy time for our staff and volunteers who are working round the clock at seven clinics to bring free high-quality, high...
I am participating in round 3 of Spayathon™ for Puerto Rico, an initiative launched to change the landscape for animals of the island by providing high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services to the pets here, all at no cost to their owners, caregivers and guardians. The energy here is infectious...
At the now defunct Newseum in Washington, D.C., one of the most popular exhibits used to be a photographic display on presidents and their dogs. It was impossible to get in edgeways through the crowds milling around it, and almost everyone had smiles on their faces as they read about the companion...
U.S. health authorities have conclusively linked numerous human cases of campylobacteriosis---a bacterial infection with often severe and debilitating symptoms---to infected puppies sold in several Petland pet stores. Today we filed a petition with the Consumer Product Safety Commission asking it to...