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 […]
Brigitte Bardot, 91, movie star for 20 years, animal advocate for 52 years
Brigitte Bardot: provocative on film, but even more provocative for animals, for more than twice as long PARIS, France––Brigitte Bardot, 91, a fashion model for four years, a film actress for 20 years, and a full-time animal advocate for the last 52 years of her life, died on December 28, 2025 of undisclosed causes at […]
Which kill more, rabid dogs in Thailand or pit bulls in the United Kingdom?
Pit bull-inflicted deaths in the U.K. in each of the last three years have exceeded the human rabies death toll in Thailand in any of the last 10 years. LONDON, U.K.; BANGKOK, Thailand––Does the British charity Dogs Trust care more about preventing fatal dog attacks in Thailand than in the United Kingdom? A July 10, […]
Soi Dog Foundation in 2024 helped Vietnam to cut rabies deaths by 20%
“Bad news” reports of rabies deaths emphasize need to abolish the dog & cat meat trade HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam––Signs of success for the Soi Dog Foundation’s decade-long campaign to help Vietnam eradicate rabies tend to look like bad news––if one does not know the context. The Ho Chi Minh-based Tuoi Tre News, for […]
Can one baby gorilla rescued in Istanbul stop the deadly great ape traffic?
The Istanbul baby gorilla is one among thousands bootlegged out of war-torn central Africa ISTANBUL, Turkey––An approximately eight-month-old baby western lowland gorilla, rescued from a coffin-like wooden crate on December 22, 2024 at the Istanbul Airport in Turkey, may be the “missing link” between two of the other horrific stories in the news that day. […]
Attacks push Thailand toward tougher pit bull & Rottweiler bans
Response of pit bull advocates to killings shocks nation BANGKOK, Thailand––Momentum may be building in Thailand toward stronger and more sweeping breed-specific legislation in response to an unprecedented surge in fatal and disfiguring attacks by pit bulls and Rottweilers. Contributing to growing public mistrust of pit bulls, Rottweilers, and other “bully” breeds are the efforts […]
Asian Animal Protection Network founder John Wedderburn, 83
Medical doctor John Wedderman quietly linked 759 Asian animal advocates into the beginnings of an international movement HONG KONG––Asian Animal Protection Network founder John Wedderburn, 83, among the most influential yet least well-known builders of the global animal rights and humane movements, died on November 25, 2024 at his retirement home in West Java, Indonesia. […]
Hanoi bans dog & cat meat trade; Philippines & India bust dog meat dealers
Stopping rabies & attracting tourists motivate government in Vietnamese capital HANOI, Vietnam––102 human rabies deaths in 29 administrative jurisdictions during 2023 have reportedly moved the city government in Hanoi, the national capital of Vietnam, to ban the dog and cat meat trade––coincidentally, almost on the eve of the annual dog-eating festival held toward the end […]
New rabies prevention rules for “rescue” puppy imports; HSUS squawks
CDC crackdown might encourage more overseas vaccination & s/n work, but may mean fewer photo-ops WASHINGTON D.C.––Pandering to the “rescue” community, including publicity stunt “rescues” by the Humane Society of the U.S. itself, instead of looking toward the greater good of dogs both in the U.S. and abroad, HSUS president Kitty Block and Sara Amundson, […]
Soi Dog/Happy Doggo s/n campaign aims to fix every street dog in Asia
Big target, but Soi Dog Foundation has history of success & Happy Doggo has ambition KOH SAMUI & PHUKET, Thailand––“Niall Harbison’s Happy Doggo and John Dalley’s Soi Dog Foundation together are launching a mass spay/neuter campaign aimed at ending the suffering of homeless animals across Asia,” Soi Dog Foundation marketing and press officer Amy Bryant emailed to […]