Singing said to be behind smuggling busts, but the money may be in fights among caged finches NEW YORK, N.Y.––Circumstantial evidence hints that some or perhaps all of a parade of men caught in the act of allegedly bootlegging Guyanese seed finches into the U.S., purportedly to sell for use in high-stakes singing contests, might […]
Will Cesar Millan be charged for “hog-dog rodeo”?
Dog attack on pig is assigned to Major Case Unit Investigator LOS ANGELES, California––Will celebrity dog trainer Cesar Millan be prosecuted for allowing a French bulldog in his care to maul a pig while making the February 26, 2016 episode of National Geographic Wild’s Cesar 911 “reality” television show? “We have assigned it to […]
Perp to serve no time for first U.S. federal “crush video” conviction
Credited with time served for Texas state charges HOUSTON, Texas––Ashley Nicole Richards, 25, the first federal defendant to be sentenced in a “crush video” case, on February 26, 2016 was ordered to serve 33 months in prison, but U.S. District Judge Sim Lake credited her with having already served the time during 42 months […]
“Coon hunt” fundraiser may be seen as racist, frets St. Jude hospital
Wants to change name but not disassociate from “World’s Largest Coon Hunt” MEMPHIS, Tennessee––Unfazed by 28 years of protest against the cruelty to animals involved in the now-41-year-old Decatur County World’s Largest Coon Hunt, an annual benefit for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital of Memphis, the hospital may at last disassociate itself from […]
Justice is served: 50 years in prison for making “crush” videos
But hunters who videotape themselves illegally killing animals for kicks often get no jail time at all HOUSTON, NASHVILLE–– Harris County Court Judge Jay Burnett on February 15, 2016 sentenced “crush video” maker Brent Wayne Justice, 54, to serve 50 years in prison for cruelty to non-livestock animals, including puppies, kittens, rabbits, crustaceans, and […]
Supreme Court of India rules against harvest festival mayhem
Animal Welfare Board of India chair R.M. Kharb & vice-chair Chinny Krishna refuse to quit NEW DELHI, CHENNAI––Animals may be killed and injured by the hundreds of thousands during the 2016 Indian harvest festivals, January 12-18, but the mayhem may not proceed with government approval, ruled a two-judge bench representing the Supreme Court of India […]
Ferrets, “pocket pets,” & pit bulls
NEW YORK CITY––The New York City Board of Health on March 10, 2015 voted 3-2 with three abstentions to retain a 25-year-old ban on possession of ferrets. The vote left New York City and Washington D.C. as the two largest cities to prohibit ferrets, outside of California, where ferrets have […]