Timmy the stranded but rescued humpback whale lived after release for about ten days BERLIN, Germany; WASHINGTON D.C.; OSLO, Norway; REYKJAVIK, Iceland––Contrasting and conflicting Nordic attitudes toward whales may never before have been more starkly evident than during the six-week drama preceding the May 2, 2026 return to the North Sea of Timmy the formerly […]
U.K. Bully XL ban slows Bully XL fatalities, but pit bull attack deaths go on
Two fatal pit bull variant attacks in two days underscore that pit bulls by any name are unsafe LONDON, United Kingdom––Bully XL fatalities have dropped from ten in 2024, when the breed was banned in the United Kingdom, to four in 2025, to none more than four months into 2026, but fatal attacks in the […]
Animals look to be the big losers in British deal with European Union
Labour government looks to sacrifice fur-bearers & ducks and geese raised for foie gras to regain favored access to European Union markets LONDON, U.K.; NEW YORK, N.Y.––Ten years after Brexit, the 2016 exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, at least some of the worst predicted for animal welfare seems to be happening. […]
Ridglan Farms raid on March 15, 2026: were any beagles rescued?
Outcome of the “open rescue” of Ridglan beagles remains clear as the icy mud underfoot BLUE MOUNDS, Wisconsin––Breaking into the Ridglan Farms beagle breeding compound on the morning of March 15, 2026, in freezing light rain a day ahead of the schedule that Direct Action Everywhere founder and Simple Heart blogger Wayne Hsiung had publicized […]
Dogs Trust, after initially insuring XL Bullies, breaks trust with insurees
There is a reason why Lloyds of London insurers want 18 times more to cover a Staffordshire pit bull & 36 times more to cover an XL Bully LONDON, U.K.–– Dogs Trust, with the Royal SPCA one of the most aggressively pit bull-pushing British charities, appears to have learned the hard way why insurance brokers […]
Make cruelty unprofitable again, by Lewis Bollard
How to crack the cruelty collective action problem Lewis Bollard heads the Farm Animal Welfare Program at Open Philanthropy. Lewis Bollard’s ANIMALS 24-7 guest column, below, originally posted to Bollard’s own Substack blog, spotlights a situation in the United Kingdom paralleling what would happen in the United States if U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee […]
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 […]
Whale Sanctuary Project may not finally get some whales after all
30 belugas, four dolphins, & two orcas may be evicted from Marineland of Canada & Marineland Antibes before Whale Sanctuary Project has any holding facilities NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario, Canada; ANTIBES, France––Marineland of Canada, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, founded in 1961, and Marineland Antibes, on the French Riviera, founded in 1970, never shared ownership, but […]
Five little noted but accomplished animal advocates who died in 2025
Marshall R. Thompson, Jamie Massey, Sarah Fisher, Neil C. Wolff, DVM, and Vincent van der Merwe Among the many accomplished animal advocates whose passage in the last months of 2025 mostly escaped notice from all but family and friends were Marshall R. Thompson, Jamie Massey, Sarah Fisher, Neil C. Wolff, DVM, and Vincent van der […]
New Year’s resolutions for animals, or just more political promises?
Europeans expect advances, Americans will have to defend gains, & Indian government dithers on WASHINGTON D.C.; LONDON; ROME; NEW DELHI––If political promises can be taken as New Year’s resolutions, 2026 might become an even better year for animals than was 2025. 2025 ended with a salute from Francisco Vásquez Neira, president of the international animal […]