This past week, wildlife advocacy groups petitioned the U.S Fish & Wildlife Services to issue Hippos Endangered Species Act Protections after a slew of investigations demonstrated a thriving market for hippo parts in the United States. As it stands, there are only about 115, 000 adult hippos left in the wild in Africa. The U.S Fish & Wildlife Services has 90 days to respond to the petition.

Too often do we take a too little, too late approach to conservation, which leaves extremely vulnerable species in peril of extinction. We are well aware of the perils these species are already facing in the wild and in my opinion, the ESA protections need to be issued much sooner if extinction prevention is really the ambition. The process of listing a species is already lengthy in itself without considering that we often wait until the species is so imperiled that there is very little hope. This process needs to be instigated significantly sooner if we are truly going to tackle extinction amidst the crisis that is plaguing our planet's species.

Hippos must receive ESA protections immediately and the United States must address its continued allowance of body part imports from species in Africa that face the possibility of extinction. We know how to do better and it shouldn't take years to figure that out. Issue the ESA protections to hippos before they disappear along with most of Africa's most recognized species.

​www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/senator-proposes-bill-to-ban-captivity-of-certain-animals-protect-others/ar-AAVlWV4?li=AAggXBV

The Jane Goodall Act is set to be reintroduced as a bill after fizzling out in 2020 due to the election. Supported by a slew of accredited zoos, the Jane Goodall Act would be an important step in the right direction in protecting wild animals from being exploited and offer necessary protections to wild animals and imports of parts from endangered animals.

The Act would ban any new captivity of animals like tigers, cheetahs, bears, elephants, and apes. Only accredited zoos that are designated as "Animal Care Organizations" would be permitted to house these animals. They will have had to meet a pre-determined set of welfare standards before being considered. Again, this is crucial in properly protecting wild animals and tackling the illegalities of roadside zoos where wild animals are cruelly exploited for profits. The bill would ban these roadside zoos from acquiring these animals and help stop the exploitation of big cats in particular. These big cats are exploited from the minute they're born until they are shipped off once they become too large. There is no justification in what we've allowed to happen to wild animals like tigers, lions, and cheetahs.

Canada is quite hypocritical when it comes to animal welfare. We talk the talk, but we're often lagging behind when it comes to welfare standards. We continue to produce fur despite overwhelming global support for a ban on the industry. We clearly allow ivory to be brought in while simultaneously speaking out about elephant conservation. We shame trophy hunting but allow the import of trophies taken from animals like elephants, giraffes, and lions. We're constantly sending out mixed messaging as a country and that's why I believe it is imperative that we make the right choice for animals and pass the Jane Goodall Act.

​Learn more through the link at the top of this post.

​worldanimalnews.com/breaking-u-s-court-strikes-down-second-ag-gag-law-in-iowa-deeming-it-unconstitutional-and-a-violation-of-the-first-amendment/

Iowa's second ag-gag law has been ruled as unconstitutional, claiming it violates the First Amendment. This is the second time that Iowa has tried to introduce an Ag-Gag law aimed at protecting the factory farming industry at the expense of whistleblowers who expose blatant cruelty. Both times however, the courts ruled against the law and they were overturned. 

The factory farming industry is heavily protected by the government as it's a multi-billion dollar producer. It is so heavily protected, that common-sense seems to slip away when it comes to protecting this industry. For example, livestock conflicts can result in the slaughter of wild, predatory animals, some of which are even considered endangered. Instead of looking at ways to better enclose farm animals, they'd sooner trap and kill wild animals for acting on instinct. Much the same as they would rather make it a criminal offence to expose blatant animal abuse as opposed to actively working towards increasing welfare standards within the industry. It's honestly disgusting and shameful.

Will Iowa move full steam ahead on ag-gag3? Will they waste more tax dollars on a bill that will once again be shut down for being unconstitutional? Only time will tell, but they surely won't be addressing their welfare standards any time soon if this is any indication where their priorities are. Shame on you Iowa.

​toronto.citynews.ca/2022/03/06/ontario-lawsuit-coyote-hunting-contest/

A coyote killing contest that took place earlier in the year has prompted animal advocacy groups to sue the province of Ontario for breaking its own laws. In Ontario, it is illegal to promote the slaughter of an animal for a bounty or cash prize and the organization that put it together did exactly that. Despite the contest having moved ahead, the advocacy groups intend to prevent the competition from ever occurring within the province again.

There are several things wrong with these sorts of contests, but it all starts with the contest itself. First of all, $20 is such an insulting and insignificant amount of money to be permitted to run around and shoot coyotes. It's incredibly degrading to think that we value the lives of these animals so very little that some pocket change will allow us the opportunity to shoot and kill several of them. Secondly, any kind of "sport" that promotes endless slaughter for prizes is so degrading and sends out the message that animal lives are worth nothing. Lastly, where the contest took place was extremely close to the endangered Algonquin wolves which reportedly look and act quite similar to coyotes. This contest was illegal and put endangered species at risk.

There is an assault on predatory animals happening on our planet and we will suffer tremendously if we eradicate our planet's carnivorous species. When we remove predatory animals from an ecosystem, naturally, prey animals will become abundant. An ecosystem depends on balance and when plant-eating animals become abundant, it can wreak havoc on the plant / fauna life. What then happens is we permit ourselves to slaughter prey animals to control the growth. Ultimately, our cycle of manipulation will never stop as we try to control the balance of the ecosystem that would have been just fine had we not meddled with it. If we stay out of things, they work out on their own, but when we start to manipulate the animal kingdom, we can never stop because we cannot undo the damage we have done.

I truly hope the lawsuits prevent this contest from ever taking place in our province again. We must shift our attitude and perspectives on animals because our current mentality is pushing them towards extinction. 

Learn more by visiting the link attached at the top of this post.

We've all heard the term, "Extinction Crisis" thrown around the past few years and perhaps, some of us have chosen not to investigate further. Some of us have chosen to turn our backs to the horrifying reality of the crisis that is plaguing nearly every species on our planet. Some of us can even be directly linked to the perils that are responsible for the decimation of a species. There are also those who are sounding the alarm; recognizing the severity of the situation and calling attention to it. Regardless of which person you align yourself with, the extinction crisis is happening around us and we are almost entirely to blame.

The gray wolves are a cautionary tale to us all because it demonstrates our continued inability to find solutions when it comes to coexisting with animals. It demonstrates a continued division in our beliefs about the importance of animals and their equal rights to the land that we inhabit. It specifically demonstrates the importance of us collectively approaching conservation and habitat protection, because as the story of the gray wolves shows us, division leads to extinction. Such is the case with a lot of the species that have found themselves on the endangered species list; there are still enough of us out there who don't understand or don't care how our actions are directly affecting animals. Let's look at a couple recognizable species on the list and what put them on the there. (Spoiler! It was humans!)

Regardless of the species, they're on the list for the exact same reasons. We're killing them unnecessarily for food. We're killing them for sport. We're killing them illegally to profit off of their parts. We're killing them for attacking our livestock. We're constantly expanding and taking away more of their habitat. Every single problem they face can be traced back to us. We are constantly fighting ourselves and whilst doing so, everything around us is going extinct.

As someone who cares about animals, I don't have a lot of faith in our planet's ability to come together for the sake of animals. As long as there are people that are happily signing up for wildlife killing contests, animals will suffer. As long as there are people willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to shoot lions, elephants, giraffes etc., animals will continue to suffer. Our too little, too late approach is exactly why everything around us is dying. 

The extinction crisis is real y'all. Speak up, speak out, and spread awareness. We have to continue the fight, even if it is a losing battle because our planet's species depend on those of us who continue to try.

As the people of Ukraine bravely defend their nation, neighbouring countries have opened their borders to people fleeing with their pets. Organizations across Ukraine are in dire need of support to continue to rescue animals and provide them shelter, food, and protection from the events unfolding around them. I've linked a couple pages below where you can donate but even a share to your own social media is helping to spread awareness. 

​The animals of Ukraine need our help!

​animalfoodbank.org/supporting-ukraine/

The Animal Food Bank organization has linked several charities, groups, and organizations that are directly helping animals in the country. You'll find shelters, sanctuaries, and rescue organizations that are all in need of support. When it comes to donations, any amount helps when you're in a desperate situation. 

​www.dailypaws.com/pet-news-entertainment/animal-advocacy/how-to-help-pets-in-ukraine

Daily Paws has compiled a list of organizations that are currently helping the imperiled animals of Ukraine. 

​www.animalscharities.co.uk/ukraine​

A United Kingdom based organization that has linked several charities and organizations throughout Ukraine that are in need of donations to continue helping animals.