Republicans try to undo legislation against kangaroo leather and the mink trade; IUCN favors crocodile & snake farming DETROIT, SACRAMENTO, WASHINGTON D.C., MELBOURNE, Australia––2026 began most auspiciously for those of us who believe fur and hides belong on the animals who grew them, not to human scavengers, but that was before politicians got involved on […]
Orangutan rescuer Biruté Galdikas, last of “Leakey’s Angels,” dies at 79
Born a “displaced person,” Biruté Galdikas spent her life aiding & advocating for displaced orangutans LOS ANGELES––Orangutan researcher, rescuer, and conservationist Biruté Galdikas, 79, died on March 24, 2026 in Los Angeles, after a prolonged illness. “Born in Germany, on May 10, 1946, while her parents were en route from Lithuania to Canada,” as displaced […]
War is hell for cats in Lebanon, but brings reprieve for cattle & sheep at Eid
Threat of rockets deters livestock shippers but not Beirut cat rescuers STRAIT OF HORMUZ, BEIRUT––Crisis situations involving animals and war were just behind the headlines in New York City’s two most prestigious newspapers on the morning of Friday the 13th of March 2026, without animals ever being mentioned. Bombing in Lebanon brought disaster to both […]
Verdict in long-delayed Elisa Pilarski pit bull death trial not due before June
Charged with manslaughter in the 2019 case, fiancé Christophe Ellul is expected to receive light sentence SOISSONS, France––The legal outcome of the most publicized pit bull attack ever, the November 16, 2019 dismemberment death of 29-year-old Elisa Pilarski, six months pregnant at the time, will for her fiancé and manslaughter defendant Christophe Ellul, 51, remain […]
Reports from Iran: perhaps world’s most officially animal-unfriendly nation
The Iranian people have never been hostile toward animals, but the Islamist government & the Revolutionary Guard are another matter TEHRAN, Iran; JERUSALEM, Israel––Animal advocates and rescuers on opposite sides of shooting between Iran and Israel report similar responses among the dogs and cats in their care since U.S. and Israeli forces jointly bombed targets […]
Punch, the Ichikawa Zoo baby macaque, may be among the lucky ones
Even when lab monkeys are given stuffed toys for comfort, they suffer miserable lives & deaths ICHIKAWA, Japan––The most famous Japanese macaque ever is doubtless Panchi-kun, called Punch for short in English. Born at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan on July 25, 2025, abandoned by his mother, Punch was bottle-fed by keepers, then introduced into […]
Syed Abulbar Rizvi, 92, linked Islamic & western animal advocacy
Syed Rizvi, a founding member of PETA, also founded Engineers & Scientists for Animal Rights Syed Abulbar Rizvi, 92, founder of Engineers & Scientists for Animal Rights, a longtime leading link between the animal advocacy communities of Pakistan and those of the west, and a leading voice for animals within Islam, died in his sleep […]
Beyond Evolution, by Michael W. Fox
Beyond Evolution by Michael W. Fox The Lyons Press (123 West 18th St., New York, NY 10011), 1999. 256 pages, hardcover. $24.95. Reviewed by Merritt Clifton in November 1999. “Few parents teach their children reverence for all life, opening their hearts to the wonders and mysteries of wild nature,” former Humane Society of the […]
Australia fatal & disfiguring dog attacks, 2005-present
Australia fatal & disfiguring dog attacks, 2005-present Breed Attacks doing Child Adult Deaths Maimings Notes bodily harm victims victims [dogs X victims] [————-Individuals—————] Akita 1 1 1 Blue heeler 3 1 2 2 Boerboel 2 2 2 Border collie/kelpie 1 1 1 Bull mastiff 13 2 7 2 7 * Cattle dog 2 1 1 […]
Dingo vs. dog: Piper James death reignites Australian animal control debate
Victim Piper James apparently drowned under dingo attack. Six dingoes culled, more likely to follow K’GARI (Fraser Island), Queensland, Australia–––Debate raging across Australia since the January 19, 2026 drowning of Canadian visitor Piper James while under dingo attack may never produce agreement about what should be––and should have been––the appropriate official response. The debate centers […]