Each December, we round up some of the year’s most notable successes in carrying on the fight for animal protection. For the next several weeks, alongside breaking news about animals and our efforts to protect them, I will bring you our top animal protection victories during this most unusual year...
One of my fondest memories from this year was celebrating the monumental progress we made toward ending the fur trade at our To the Rescue! gala in New York. The event showcased the next generation of sustainable, animal-friendly materials—like leather made from mushrooms and fur made from plants...
Californians can now officially celebrate the end of fur sales in the Golden State. A statewide ban on the sale of new animal fur products went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, making California the first state in the U.S. to implement such a ban. Its citizens have waited more than three years for the...
As a result of strong opposition from our team and wildlife advocates, a bill was recently defeated in Iowa’s state legislature that would have used taxpayer dollars to incentivize Iowans to kill raccoons. Under the proposed program—which was expected to cost Iowa taxpayers $860,000 each year—participants would have redeemed a $5 voucher for each raccoon tail they submitted to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources during each county’s “monthly raccoon tail pick-up event.”
In our work of helping animals, we operate with a firm conviction that everyone can change. If we are honest in our desire to do good, we have to hold to that theory of action. Fortunately, we’ve seen it again and again, and been witness to the most inspiring examples of personal transformation. One...
Every year, more than a million mink are killed—typically by gassing to avoid damage to their pelts—at U.S. fur farms for no purpose other than to provide trim on coats and poms on hats, purses or gloves. Few, if any, laws regulate the living conditions and slaughter of farmed mink, either in the U...
Earlier this week, we joined Born Free USA, FOUR PAWS USA and Last Chance for Animals in a national campaign to persuade department store Dillard’s to go fur-free. Unlike its fur-free competitors Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, T.J. Maxx, Kohl’s, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, Dillard’s is...
As the runways are being set up for Fashion Weeks this February and March in New York, London, Milan and Paris, we, along with our fellow members of the global coalition the Fur Free Alliance, are launching the biggest anti-fur campaign of all time, urging millions of fur-free supporters across dozens of countries to ask Max Mara to join modern competitors like Armani, Gucci, Valentino and Dolce&Gabbana in going fur-free.
Each year, the Humane Society of the United States recognizes lawmakers and corporations who support and adopt humane principles in their work. This week, I was on Capitol Hill with colleagues from the Humane Society Legislative Fund to honor 173 lawmakers with our Humane Awards, for their work to...
The annual Taking Action for Animals Conference, organized by the Humane Society of the United States with the Humane Society Legislative Fund and other supportive organizations, concluded today with hundreds of participants lobbying their members of Congress on Capitol Hill and discussing important...
South Africa’s captive lion breeding industry is a grim enterprise, and it is one that we have been working to shut down for good. Approximately 12,000 lions are held in 200 lion breeding farms, including some where trophy hunters, including many Americans, pay to kill the lions at point-blank range...
One more luxury fashion brand has joined the mass exodus from fur. St. John, a brand popular among fashion-conscious shoppers, from models and actresses to first ladies, announced today that it will go completely fur-free with its pre-Fall 2019 collection. The company has also prohibited the use of...
For decades, the Humane Society of the United States has led the charge against the cruel confinement of animals on factory farms. It’s a big fight, one of the biggest, and it involves hundreds of millions of animals locked in cramped spaces all across this country, from egg-laying hens locked in...
Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases a report on mink fur production, and this year’s report shows a promising outlook for mink, a species that suffers immeasurably for nothing but trim on a jacket, a pom on a hat or purse or eyelash extensions. The number of mink killed last year...
A mink living in the wild near an infected Utah fur farm has tested positive for the coronavirus, providing yet another pressing reason why the United States needs to end all mink fur farming without further delay. While it is not clear if the infected animal had any contact with the mink on the fur...
Our fight against fur has gained incredible momentum in recent years, with major fashion houses and retailers shedding the cruelty of this completely unnecessary commodity. Now, with mink on two fur farms in the Netherlands testing positive for the coronavirus, we have one more compelling reason why...
Missouri has finally moved to close down a puppy mill owner who’s been on the radar of federal and state inspectors for more than two decades for serious neglect of animals in her facility. Marilyn Shepherd (a.k.a. Marilyn Williams) and her Cedercrest Kennel (a.k.a. Pup 4 U) had operated without a...
