North American bird populations have declined by three billion birds since 1970, which is just one of the reasons why the Migratory Bird Treaty Act has been such an important source of protection for birds for decades. So, it felt like a terrible threat when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...

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...

Enzo was just a tiny puppy when he was lifted into a carrier and placed in one of our animal rescue vehicles last July. He was being taken away from Envigo’s massive dog breeding facility in Virginia where he was born. Until that moment, he was likely destined for a life in an animal testing...

Just recently, I had the pleasure of meeting virtually with our organization’s summer intern cohort and the opportunity to meet several interns in person at our Taking Action for Animals conference. I look forward to these meetings in every internship cycle, and so do the senior colleagues who...

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson It may be hard to believe, but some of the most malicious acts of animal cruelty — including crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating and impaling animals and sexually exploiting them — are not felonies under federal law. Today, a bipartisan group of lawmakers...

A Netflix series on Joe Exotic, who made a living exploiting tigers he held in captivity at his roadside zoo, is helping to mobilize public support in favor of federal legislation that would end such exploitation. A Washington Post reporter spoke to members of Congress who said they are hearing from...

Bullfighting, even when it masquerades as celebration or tradition, is nothing more that the most egregious cruelty to animals. Frightened bulls are forced into an arena with screaming people, pitted against matadors wielding spears, and then stabbed multiple times before they die a slow, agonizing...

A Newsweek article published this week shines a light on a growing problem in our society, one affecting millions of families across the U.S.: the inability to access and afford sufficient care and services for their beloved companion animals. We ardently believe that everyone deserves the experience of bonding with a companion animal, which is a source of love and comfort for all involved, and it follows that everyone must be able to access the resources they need to keep their companion animals healthy and happy.

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...

There has been so much to move the spirit over the 48 hours since we learned of the passing of George H.W. Bush, our 41 st president. I was deeply touched by “Mission Complete,” the image of Sully the dog, keeping vigil by the late president’s flag-draped casket. What a powerful symbol of...

We have good news to share from Mississippi and Iowa, the only two states in the nation without a law on the books that would make acts of animal torture, like burning, drowning and intentional starvation, an automatic felony. Recently, Mississippi’s state legislature passed a bill that would do...

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...

A notorious breeder in Missouri who has been featured five times in our annual Horrible Hundred report on problem puppy mills may be closing down her operation, even as the state’s attorney general is moving to take legal action against her for mistreating the dogs in her care. Debra Ritter of...

Just days after the release of our annual Horrible Hundred report, Missouri’s attorney general has sued to shut down one of the puppy mills named in it. The owners of Little Bit Ranch in Unionville, Missouri, failed to provide adequate veterinary care for their dogs and left them with only frozen...

Missouri has proposed a hunting season on its small and still-recovering population of black bears, who were once nearly wiped out because of overhunting and logging, which decimated their habitat. The Missouri Department of Conservation estimates that there are now approximately 540 to 840 bears in...

The Missouri state wildlife commission will vote this Friday on whether to allow trophy hunters to target the state’s small and still-recovering black bear population. If the proposal passes, up to 500 individuals could get permits to kill bears, including cubs unaccompanied by their mothers. Only a...

The mistreatment of animals is a matter of injustice, and so it’s only fitting that the U.S. Department of Justice stepped in to stop cruelty at Even Keel Exotics in Temperance, Michigan. The DOJ’s recent resolution of a complaint against the facility’s owner, animal dealer Zachery Keeler, resulted...