Feral pigs may be poached as African swine fever & trade war cut off pig imports HONG KONG––A three-way collision among African swine fever, feral pigs, and the global pork industry, U.S. interests included, may be only days away in Hong Kong. Whatever the outcome, … [Read More...]
Will birds sing or will they be silent? Our choice is their fate
By Karen Davis, PhD., president, United Poultry Concerns In “How chicken became the rich world’s most popular meat,” The Economist reported on January 19, 2019 that “the total mass of farmed chickens exceeds that of all other birds on the planet combined.” This startling news comprises 1) The … [Read More...]
Recurring nightmare: my escape from a serial no-killer, by Beth Clifton
Six years later it seems to be happening again PORT RICHEY, Florida––Pasco County Animal Services and Suncoast Animal League personnel on May 3, 2019 removed thirty-two dogs, four cats and a gerbil from the rented premises of the Humane Society of West Florida, a dilapidated former … [Read More...]
Secrets of Doris Day’s life & work for animals
Publicity added much spin & gloss to what was already a positive record CARMEL, California––Doris Day, 97, died from pneumonia on May 13, 2019. Day was remembered worldwide as a singer who recorded more than 650 songs between 1939 and 1967; an actress who starred in more than 40 films between 1947 and 1968, as well as her own television situation comedy, 1968-1973; and … [Read More...]
How killing cats helped to keep Aussie Liberal Party in power
Cat purge masks otherwise weak record on endangered species CANBERRA, Australia––Cats were nowhere on the May 18, 2019 Australian federal election ballot, and were not among the official campaign issues for any of the contestants, either. Yet the Liberal Party scheme to kill two million cats by 2020 lurked just behind the polling results that on May 18, 2019 kept the Liberal-led … [Read More...]
Why did pit bull & Malinois victims Liquori & Hazel die alone?
Thought they knew the risks... FORT PIERCE, Florida; DIGHTON, Massachusetts—Killed in unwitnessed dog attacks on May 9, 2019 and May 10, 2019, respectively, Christine Liquori, 52, of Port St. Lucie, Florida and Ryan Hazel, 14, of Rehobeth, Massachusetts, had almost nothing in common––except that they were alone in kennel facilities with one or more dogs of known dangerous … [Read More...]
Beth & Merritt’s 5-minute meatless loaf
This is what's for dinner when you have only five minutes to put a meal together & have something else to do that will take an hour & absolutely must get done before you can take time to eat. Serves 6-8, goes well with any vegetables, & is good as a leftover. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit Mix together: One and a half pounds of soft tofu Half cup of ketchup Half cup … [Read More...]
Trophy hunting history defeats wildlife board nominee: a U.S. first?
Disqualified by protest sparked by hunting photos SALEM, Oregon––Hunters nationwide are worried over the outcome of a high-profile confrontation among ranking Democrats over who will serve on the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission. Their side lost. This signaled a significant loss of grip in a largely rural state where for decades hunters were politically dominant. The … [Read More...]
300 cats found in apartment near the scene of multiple murders
Neighbors reportedly complained of corpse-like odor for seven years NORTH YORK, Ontario––Even before nearly 300 cats were found on May 3, 2019, huddled in Apartment 1811 at 30 Falstaff Avenue, North York, Ontario, the suburban Toronto building was well-known to police. Built in 1970, Falstaff Towers, a cluster of buildings including three 19-story public housing projects, … [Read More...]
Pit hags, rescue angels, crazy cat ladies, dog men & chicken fighters: what’s in a name?
The late linguist, lexicographer, and "crazy cat man" Reinhold Aman would have relished the question SONOMA, California––Researching the etymology of the terms “pit hag,” “rescue angel,” “crazy cat lady,” “dog man” and “chicken fighter,” absent from most dictionaries yet almost universally understood within the animal advocacy world, would have fascinated Reinhold Aman, 82, who died on … [Read More...]
WA undoes pit bull bans that protected humans & animals in 27 cities
But if a pit bull kills you in Washington state, you can now have your remains composted OLYMPIA, Washington––Between issuing campaign statements as one of 21 contenders for the 2020 Democratic nomination to run for U.S. president, and signing a bill allowing Washingtonians to have their remains composted, Washington governor Jay Inslee on May 1, 2019 authorized into law HB 1026, … [Read More...]
Should giving shelter dogs & cats to university labs count as “live release”?
USDA says pound animal giveaways to vet schools are not covered by the federal Animal Welfare Act BATON ROUGE, Louisiana; TUSKEGEE, Alabama––Recent transfers of shelter animals to the Louisiana State University and Tuskegee University veterinary schools have allegedly been reported by shelter personnel as “adoptions” or transfers to “rescue.” The disputed transactions appear to … [Read More...]
Noted in passing: Tresz, Muliro, Ndou, Hanson, Broecker, Lagerfeld
Six people with little in common except influencing how humans see animals Hilda Tresz, Freddy Mahamba Muliro, and Joel Celestine Mambou Ndou, none of them ever famous, in various ways devoted their lives to great apes. Wade Hanson spent the last 24 years of his life as a humane officer. Wallace Broecker for more than 50 years advanced scientific understanding of global warming, … [Read More...]
Four schemes to save 70,000 wild horses from a BLM Apocalypse
What the Trump administration plans & what wild horse advocates hope to do about it WASHINGTON D.C.––The infamous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, riding a white horse, red horse, black horse, and pale horse to sow Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death, are prophesied to come galloping at wild horses in the guise of Oil, Gas, Mining, and Grazing in mid-summer 2019. That … [Read More...]
Culwell case: did high surrender fees lead to Coachella puppy-dumping?
Unsympathetic suspect, but shelter policies may have been accessories to the alleged crime COACHELLA, California––Deborah Sue Culwell, 54, now facing 14 criminal charges for animal abandonment in Riverside County, California, did not cull well. A Napa Auto Parts store surveillance camera on April 18, 2019 caught Culwell in the act of allegedly trying to cull seven … [Read More...]
Earth Day dilemma: enviro agencies addicted to deadly chemicals
Catherine de Medici might have considered wildlife poisoning schemes medieval Let me tell you about the birds and bees, and the cats and the rats, and the possums and the pigs, and the chemical-addicted descendants of Catherine de Medici at USDA Wildlife Services, Threatened Species Strategy of Australia, and Zero Invasive Predators of New Zealand, who imagine they can poison their way to a … [Read More...]