Koko was among the last great apes used in still controversial 1970s language research WOODSIDE, California––With Koko deceased, what now will become of Ndume, 37, the last and least famous of the three gorillas who once shared the Gorilla Foundation sanctuary and primate language … [Read More...]
2018 dog breed survey: at least 41% of U.S. pit bull population are seeking homes
21% of U.S. pit bulls currently available are in first year of life; 19% have lost at least one home Nearly 15% of the dogs available to the U.S. public for sale or adoption as of mid-June 2018 were pit bulls, but that scarcely made pit bulls the most popular breed. Rather, the numbers … [Read More...]
Thinking out-of-the-horse-box to save wild horses from slaughter
by Anthony Marr When Charles Darwin first revealed his theory of evolution, his friend Thomas Huxley exclaimed, “It is so simple and obvious! Why didn't I think of it?!” It is because Huxley, like most people, thought inside the box, meaning within the confines of an established concept, … [Read More...]
$4.25 million award for pit bull attack––and the victim may see some of the money
Landlord's failure to respond or defend puzzles observers ATLANTA, Georgia––A $4.25 million default judgment issued on June 1, 2018 against Atlanta landlord Jonathan Kent Hart, 61, for an August 26, 2016 pit bull attack may be the biggest yet in which the victim is believed to be likely to collect at least a substantial part of the money. But further litigation is expected, … [Read More...]
Nazi zombies from hell: VW monkey tests & New Zealand use of 1080
Pledging to quit animal tests, VW tries again to shake Nazi origin WOLFSBURG, Germany––Monkeys are no longer breathing diesel fumes. Volkswagen publicists are likely breathing sighs of relief. Nazi tactics and ideology live on elsewhere. Examples include the use of the Nazi-developed pesticide Compound 1080 to kill a targeted goal of two million feral cats in Australia, and to … [Read More...]
Are feminists right to resist comparison with the females of other species?
by Karen Davis, PhD., president of United Poultry Concerns A woman employed on a chicken “breeder” farm in Maryland wrote a letter once to the local newspaper berating the defenders of chickens for trying to make her lose her job, threatening her ability to support herself and her daughter. For her, “breeder” hens were “mean” birds who “peck your arm when you are trying to collect the … [Read More...]
Biggest pigeon shoots in years follow Pennsylvania cruelty law exemption
Showing Animals Respect & Kindness drone shot down while videotaping the killing HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania––Live pigeon shoots held at The Berm, near Dalmatia, Pennsylvania, on June 3, 2018, and on June 4, 2018, at the nearby Erdman Sportsmen’s Club, appear to have been the biggest since Libre's Law, pushed by the Humane Society of the U.S. and Humane Pennsylvania, in 2017 … [Read More...]
Will regime changes underway in New Jersey bring a new day for animals?
Biggest transitions in New Jersey humane work since 1868 FREEHOLD, TRENTON, NEWARK, New Jersey––Whether humane work will be any more effective in New Jersey going forward from 2018 is anyone’s guess, but it will be done under different leadership and a new legal regime. Familiar names move on The New Jersey SPCA no longer holds law enforcement authority. Roseann Trezza, … [Read More...]
#DontGetMilked makes a splash in the heart of hypocritical cow worship
Animal advocates wean themselves from the "gaushala" dairy tradition NEW DELHI, India––The billboard message “#DontGetMilked. Ditch Dairy! Go Vegan!” posted recently in Nehru Place, New Delhi by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations (FIAPO), is a crowd-stopper. It might not rate a blink, let alone a shocked doubletake from visiting American and European … [Read More...]
Heads & Tails, by Maneka Gandhi
People For Animals (A4 Maharani Bagh, New Delhi 110 065, India).184 pages, paperback; 1993. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12498154-heads-and-tails Reviewed by Merritt Clifton "I have always detested milk," Maneka Gandhi opined in the first line of her first syndicated column, entitled "Milk, Meat and Animal Violence." "My son too refused to drink cow's milk when he was weaned," … [Read More...]
Virginia bars shelters & rescues from hiding dogs’ bite history
No more "Don't ask, don't tell" for pit bulls RICHMOND, Virginia––The era of shelters and rescues concealing dog attack history from prospective adopters is over, says the Virginia state legislature, effective July 1, 2018. But the widespread practice of hiding dogs' violent histories cost Virginia Beach resident Margaret M. Colvin her life on June 1, 2017. Many other Virginians have … [Read More...]
Oklahoma law to curb bogus “service dog” claims likely to flunk first test
Where the hot air comes sweeping up the plain OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma–– A new Oklahoma state law takes a new approach to trying to curb widespread misuse of “service dog” claims and paraphernalia, but will probably fail the first time a conviction is appealed to a federal court. Oklahoma HB 3282 addresses people who use bogus "service dog" claims and credentials to take dogs into … [Read More...]
Koalas, “world’s cutest critters,” under fire: logging, disease, cars & pit bulls
Do koalas need better protected traditional habitat, or more new growth? BRISBANE, SYDNEY, Australia––Can a newly made $34 million commitment by the Australian government save koalas? Or are koalas already doomed by the deadly combination of global warming and development? Jeopardized by bushfires, dogs (especially pit bulls), disease, deforestation, and drivers speeding … [Read More...]
Koalas: Zen In Fur
Edited by Joanne Ehrich Koala Jo Publishing (http://www.koalajo.com/books.html), 2006. 97 pages, paperback. Originally published at $35.00, now discounted. Early in 2006 graphic artist Koala Jo Ehrich produced a lavish 260-page photo collection entitled Koalas: Moving Portraits of Serenity, with an afterword by celebrity zoo personality Jack Hanna, to help the Australian Koala … [Read More...]
Driving at demonstrators costs “Big Lick” champ’s insurers $50,000
Billygoboy wins again TUNICA, Mississippi––Having organized boycotts that have shut down “Big Lick” walking horse shows in at least 13 southern cities, semi-retired attorney Clant Seay, 71, better known as Billygoboy, is now celebrating a victory of a different sort. This time Seay has collected $50,000 on behalf of four clients, plus himself, in settlement of two federal … [Read More...]
Down Under drive to kill brumby wild horses brings bill to save them
Man from Monaro stands in the bootprints of The Man From Snowy River SYDNEY, Australia––In a reversal of fortune as abrupt as a stallion wheeling on hind legs to strike at an aggressive rival, the wild horses of Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales are suddenly slated for protected status––if the New South Wales Legislative Assembly approves Kosciuszko … [Read More...]