Action Is Everything
As we enter the fifth month of the 109th
Congress, we've already made great progress for animals—thanks to
your actions. It's important to take stock of where we are and keep
fighting for key animal protection issues. Our
Humane Action Network is the backbone of our work in the public
policy arena and as a vital member of the network, we need your
continued participation in the high-profile battles listed below.
Ridding America of Animal Fighting: A few weeks ago, the
Senate unanimously passed the
Animal
Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, which creates
felony-level penalties for animal fighting activities. We are
focusing on the House now and urging Representatives to co-sponsor
the legislation and get it passed this year.
Protecting Horses from Slaughter: Tens of
thousands of American horses are slaughtered every year and shipped
overseas for human consumption.
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Last year, a stealth rider slipped into the
omnibus appropriations bill gutted the law that traditionally
protected wild horses from slaughter. The
American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and the Wild Horse Act
will 1) prohibit the transport, possession, purchase, or sale of
horses to be slaughtered for human consumption and 2) reinstate
protections for wild horses. |
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Outlawing the Keeping of Primates as Pets: Non-human
primates such as chimpanzees and orangutans are kept as pets across
the country—some 15,000 primates are in captivity. However, recent
high-profile attacks, disease threats, and animal welfare concerns
underscore the fact that primates are not suited for life as pets.
The
Captive
Primate Safety Act will prohibit the interstate and
foreign commerce in primates for the pet trade.
Putting the Lid on Canned Hunts and
Internet Hunting: The national media have blown the cover
on
canned hunts
of captive exotic animals, the
remote hunting of
animals over the Internet, and a
tax scam
in which trophy hunters write off their killing sprees by donating
their mounts to pseudo-museums. The spotlight has become so intense
that even pro-hunting groups have criticized these practices.
Ensuring Humane
Treatment of Companion Animals and Farm Animals: We are
also working with our supporters in Congress to introduce
legislation to provide more humane care for dogs at "puppy mills,"
to codify the ban on slaughtering
"downed"
livestock who are too sick or injured to walk, and to
ensure that
poultry
(95% of all animals killed for food) are slaughtered humanely.
Enforcing Animal Protection Laws:
Finally, we need to make sure there's
adequate
funding to enforce new and existing animal welfare laws.
Please take some time today to click on the alert links above and
help us continue to achieve legislative victories for animals.
Right to
Know
In response to a lawsuit filed by The HSUS, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture will resume posting registered animal research
facilities' annual reports on the agency's website, as required
by the Freedom of Information Act. The USDA decided in 2002 to
remove key documents concerning the use of animals in research.
Read more. |
Whole Foods Joins Boycott
Whole Foods Market, Inc., the
world's leading retailer of natural and organic foods, has
joined the list of companies that have responded to The HSUS's
call for a boycott of Canadian seafood until the brutal seal
hunt is called off.
Read more.
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Recent Victories
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U.S. Virgin Islands overrides
Governor's veto and passes felony cruelty bill.
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West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin
signed into law three major animal protection bills dealing with
animal cruelty, Internet hunting, and spaying and neutering.
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Maryland mute swans win reprieve. A
federal court temporarily halted plans to kill some 2,000 swans
on Maryland's Eastern Shore. |
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