Outbreaks throughout the Northwest BELLINGHAM, Washington––Backyard poultry have become an incubator for high pathogenic strains of avian influenza throughout the Pacific Northwest, with recent outbreaks occurring from the Fraser Valley of British Columbia to northern California, and as far east as Idaho. The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection […]
Would-be duckling rescuer is sentenced for acts that killed two people
90 days in prison for not thinking before acting MONTREAL––Would-be duckling rescuer Emma Czornobaj, 26, of Châteauguay, Quebec, was on December 18, 2014 sentenced to serve 45 weekends (90 days) in prison, and do 240 hours of community service for causing the June 2010 deaths of motorcyclists Andre Roy, 50, and his daughter Jessie, 16. […]
Courts rule that orangutan in Argentina has more rights than chimp in New York state
Judge says an orangutan named Sandra has been improperly imprisoned for 20 years at the Buenos Aires Zoo BUENOS AIRES, Argentina; ALBANY, New York––Ruling opposite to the findings of the New York Court of Appeals just two weeks earlier, the Argentinian Second Appeals Court on December 19, 2014 agreed that an orangutan named Sandra has […]
Fundraising, FADS, “dolphin safe,” & why Ric O’Barry left Earth Island Institute
The U.S. “dolphin safe” standard accepts the use of FADs at the expense of sharks, sea turtles, and many other marine species BERKELEY, OAKLAND––“FADs are bad,” says dolphin defender Ric O’Barry. By FADs, O’Barry means a fishing method so deadly that he believes it makes a travesty of “dolphin safe” tuna labeling. The U.S. “dolphin […]
Netherlands & Mexico ban wildlife use in circuses
Big wins for Animal Defenders International DEN HAAG, MEXICO CITY, LONDON––Announcements distributed by Animal Defenders International less than 24 hours apart on December 12 and 13, 2014 heralded Dutch and Mexican national bans on the use of wild animals in circuses. Said Animal Defenders International president Jan Creamer, “Use of animals in traveling circuses is […]
Katherine Bolland Gibson, 60, inspiration to a generation of humane workers
Spay/neuter pioneer in Costa Rica Katherine Bolland Gibson, 60, a pioneer of promoting spay/neuter in rural areas of the developing world, and an inspiration to a generation of humane workers for whom post traumatic stress developed on the job was a way of life, died on November 11, 2014 in San Jose, Costa Rica, after […]
Tulum Monkey Sanctuary founder Richard Mileski killed by camel
Richard Mileski, 60 according to U.S. sources but 70 according to Tulum Civil Defense official Aberto Canto, was fatally stomped by a camel on October 13, 2014 at the Tulum Monkey Sanctuary in Yucatan, Mexico. “One version,” Canto told media, “is that Mileski would always give the camel a Coca Cola to drink, and apparently, […]
Three pit bull stories to chew on
News analysis by Barbara Kay The news cycle of the last two weeks has turned up two remarkable pit bull-related stories in North America, both worthy of editorial mastication, so to speak. There is a third story, also noteworthy and included below, which didn’t make the mainstream news, but should have. The first story, out […]
Rollover crash reignites controversy over dog rescue traffic from U.S. to Canada
Two volunteers escaped with minor injuries EDMONTON––A September 13, 2014 rollover crash near Olds, Alberta that killed at least three dogs in a load of 30 has reignited debate over the practice of importing dogs from U.S. shelters into Canada. The seven a.m. accident came toward the end of a multi-day drive from the Los […]
Circus lion attack calls into question the will of Peruvian authorities to enforce wildlife performance ban
Why was the circus still on the road? CUZCO, Peru––Three years after Peru officially stopped the use of wildlife in circuses, a nominally banned lion named Smith nearly killed schoolteacher Roxana Guevara Huaraca, 32, during an August 14, 2014 performance of the Monaco Circus in Santa Rosa, in the district of San Sebastian, near […]