​people.com/pets/billie-eilish-and-kaley-cuoco-among-celebs-who-signed-open-letter-to-end-horse-drawn-carriages-in-new-york-city/

Not gonna lie y'all, I saw this story on my Instagram last night, and immediately started jotting down talking points. Half a year or so ago, I reported about a horse collapsing in the streets of New York City. The story was met with significant push back from the carriage community and honestly, anti animal activists lol. It's still a very divided issue but when you consider the facts, it really shouldn't be.

About a month ago, another horse collapsed in New York, prompting activists and celebrities to urge a ban on horse carriages once again. In my experience, those associated with the carriage industry were very vigilant in defending their treatment of the horses without acknowledging the things I was pointing out. It was hard to navigate the conversation because of their vehement defense of their treatment of the horses, not what the horses were forced to endure. Let's tuck in to this.

Believe it or not, our planet is heating up. Glaciers are melting in the Arctic, in Greenland, and off the coast of Canada. Even my hometown of Windsor, Ontario, has been getting hotter. This past year, we had a string of days back to back that were under heat advisories, it's obvious that things are going to continue to get hotter. 

As someone who walks 45 minutes to work, I can tell you that it is strenuous on my breathing when I'm forced to walk in temperatures that are dangerously high. Why would this be any different for a horse? They're parading around in concrete jungles which amplify heat, surrounded by immense vehicular pollution, and somehow they're understood to be just fine? The hotter it gets, the harder it is to be mobile outdoors, and as our temperatures continue to increase, horses collapsing on paved streets will become more frequent. 

This is not a new issue. With every horse collapse, activists reignite the pleas to end this forced servitude and the carriage association takes no responsibility and tries to deflect. This continued back and forth is keeping horses working in the same conditions that are causing them to collapse. Horses will continue to collapse in the streets, a scene that causes panic, sadness, and distraught for all involved. The videos showing the horses attempting to get up only to fall to the ground are heartbreaking.

There is no defense of horse carriages any longer. As I said, one the leading arguments in defense of the carriages was that the horses were treated so well when they were not working etc, but does that translate to the streets? Does telling the horse you love them at night negate the 110 degree temperatures they're dragging tourists along in? It's time to recognize that while nostalgic, it is dangerous for horses on congested streets. It is unnecessary to utilize horses in this way when there is a plethora of transit options available to us. It's nothing more than exploitation at this point and the we need to bury this tradition in our history.

Horses and humans have had a long standing relationship. It's time for us to thank them for centuries of cooperation by freeing them from being exploited for novelty rides. Ban horse drawn carriages in New York City. It's time to retire the horses and end this servitude.

​worldanimalnews.com/breaking-montana-huntress-kills-skins-a-husky-puppy-who-she-thought-was-a-wolf/

A proud Montana huntress, Amber Rose Barnes went out looking for wolves to shoot and kill. After shooting & skinning a "wolf pup", she proudly posted on her social media about the kill with several accompanying photos of the huntress smiling with the skinned carcass. Soon after posting, she was made a fool of after people took note of the fact that it appeared she shot and killed a domestic husky. Backtracking, she claimed she feared for her life, but eventually admitted she made a mistake. This story demonstrates not only the continued aggression and disdain for wolves in the Northern Rockies, but also the sickening pride people continue to feel for slaughtering wild animals, especially wolves.

Amber Rose Barnes shot an innocent dog. Amber Rose Barnes then skinned the dog and posted several pictures of herself proudly smiling next to the skinned remains of a domestic dog. Amber Rose Barnes deserves to have her hunting "rights" taken away from her and she should be penalized in some way for the mistake she made. The bigger picture here though is that wolves need to be relisted before we hunt them to extinction. It's already happening and this story is proof that wolves are under constant attack. To be so adamant about killing wolf pups that you can't even tell the difference between a domestic dog, it's obvious that the yearning for bloodshed is fueling these attacks.

We must relist wolves in the United States. If we do not reverse their delisting, they will undoubtedly be endangered in no time and inevitably extinct. 45 years of effort, funding, time, and dedication, undone in less than 3 years because of the unwarranted hate directed towards wolves. You see, these people would hunt wolves to extinction which would allow for prey animals to become abundant. This would then allow them to justify hunting prey animals to keep the "balance", the balance that would have been in tact had we not hunted all of the wolves to extinction. We are manipulating the animal kingdom to fit our salacious desire to kill and it appears that without ESA protections, we will stop at nothing until wolves are eradicated.

Hold Amber Rose Barnes accountable for her mistake but also look at the bigger picture. If we do not relist wolves, they will go extinct.

​www.kron4.com/news/gov-newsom-signs-several-laws-to-protect-animal-welfare/

California has once again positioned itself as a leader in animal welfare after Governor Gavin Newsom signed several laws aimed at protecting & strengthening animal welfare in the state. California is often at the forefront of the animal rights movement in the United States and this is yet another example of the state's commitment to better protecting animals. 

​Let's look at what bills were signed and why they're important!

Assembly bill 1648 requires kennel owners to create a natural disaster evacuation plan before being issued a permit to operate. This ensures animals held on the premises will be properly evacuated in the case of a natural disaster. Too often, animals are left behind as humans flee to safety, putting them in danger of being killed. Bill 1648 makes sure those animals will also be evacuated to safety as a responsibility of the operators of the kennel. This will protect innocent animals in the face of natural disasters.

Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1290 which makes taking another person's companion animal "theft", a crime under the law.

Senate Bill 774 facilitates the emotional support dog certification for unhoused people. Essentially, this moves the process along for those who require emotional support animals but do not have an address to accommodate the application. Emotional support animals are crucial to the mental health of those who apply and this bill will ensure everyone can access the support they need.

Assembly bill 2723 expands the microchip registration for dogs and cats which will help return lost pets to owners. This bill will ensure lost animals are found and returned thanks to the expanded microchip requirements.  

California continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to the welfare of animals within their state. My hope is that through continued strengthening of welfare standards / laws, other states will follow suit. We must continue to improve our standards across the globe in order to properly protect animals from abuse / cruelty, needless toxicity testing, and other forms of exploitation. 

​Learn more about the bills signed by Governor Newsom by visiting the link at the top of this post!

​worldanimalnews.com/latvia-bans-fur-farming-which-will-spare-the-lives-of-an-estimated-300000-animals-that-are-killed-for-their-fur-each-year/

Latvia is the next country that will effectively ban fur farming, ending the practice completely by 2028. The news comes after years of decline in the industry and support from activists and non-governmental organizations alike. Latvia has approximately 274, 000 animals in captivity that are being farmed for fur, down from about 617, 000 in 2017. This sharp decline is indicative of the shift in our global view on animal rights, particularly the necessity of the fur farming industry. 

The fur farming industry is one of the most needlessly cruel and outdated industries on our planet. Once seen as a symbol of wealth, fur is frowned upon by the general population. We've come to a point in our history where enough of us finally recognize that there is absolutely no necessity in farming animals simply to slaughter and skin them for fashion. These animals are bred solely to be skinned, their bodies discarded like trash. It's the pinnacle of human entitlement and our lack of compassion or concern for the animal kingdom. If you watched even one video of an animal fearfully being bludgeoned or electrocuted, followed by having their skin literally ripped from them; I'd hope you'd recognize the horrors of what they go through for our novelty.

​We're seeing countries across the globe stepping up and banning fur. The future is fur free and we're well on our way. Learn more about Latvia's decision by visiting the link at the top of this post.

A bill aimed at banning the use of wild animals in traveling circus' has been reintroduced in the United States. The TEAPSPA ( The Traveling Exotic Animal & Public Safety Act) would effectively end circus' use of wild animals like bears, tigers, and elephants, all of which were likely obtained cruelly and denied anything natural to their existence. There is simply no place for the continued exploitation of wild animals when human performances are not only garnering equal attention, but employ more people and save animals from needless cruelty.

There is no justification for this level of exploitation that heavily lines the pockets of humans for the forced work of animals. Quite simply, wild animals in circus' are taken advantage of and profited off of while they suffer an existence that denies them any sort of wild activities. They do not have access to other animals like themselves for socialization, they lack the land they would have in the wild, and they are treated as nothing more than money making machines. These animals are forced to perform over and over while humans continue to line their pockets. It's utterly shameful that in 2022, we're still fighting to get these animals out of their forced servitude.

70 years ago, we could claim ignorance about the animal's situation, but today, we're simply complicit in their suffering. We know what these animals endure in order to perform for us. We know that they get absolutely nothing out their work while humans continue to profit off of their endless performances. We cannot continue to feign ignorance when animals are suffering. It's time to ban wild animals in circus' in the United States and frankly, across the globe. Pass TEAPSPA and stop exploiting animals!

​worldanimalnews.com/nine-conservation-organizations-file-a-new-lawsuit-aiming-to-protect-grizzly-bears-from-cattle-ranchers-in-montanas-paradise-valley/

Conservation groups have filed a lawsuit to protect grizzly bears in Montana's Paradise Valley. The lawsuit comes after the U.S. Forest Service authorized expanded livestock grazing in the Paradise Valley area just north of the Yellowstone National Park which happens to be grizzly habitat. Expanding livestock grazing will directly affect grizzly bears, possibly fragmenting them further and decimating genetic diversity. On top of this, cattle ranchers are authorized to euthanize bears for livestock conflicts which are inevitable when you expand their grazing habitat.

It's completely irresponsible and negligent to expand livestock grazing in areas where animals are already struggling to rehabilitate. The process of rehabilitating a species can take decades without considering factors like this which would make it even harder for grizzly bears to thrive. The fact that we can take their land, basically leave food out on a silver platter, and then kill them for helping themselves is sickening and works against necessary conservation in favour of profits from the animal agriculture industry. When will the pandering to this industry end, when there are no more wild animals to deal with any longer?

The expansion of livestock grazing in Montana's Paradise Valley will have a direct negative impact on grizzly bears. If it is permitted, grizzly bears will suffer as a result of that decision. With fragmentation & isolation comes a lack of genetic diversity which will hinder healthy repopulation. We will effectively be plunging grizzly bears further towards extinction in the area in order to grow, slaughter, and sell livestock. The right thing to do is cancel the expansion and protect grizzly bears.

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

​spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/ny-state-of-politics/2022/09/12/hochul-urged-to-ban-dog--cat-and-rabbit-sales-in-stores

Approved by state lawmakers and simply waiting for a decision, a bill to ban the sale of pets from pet stores awaits a final decision from Governor Kathy Hochul. Opposed by pet store owners, but supported by lawmakers and the general public, the bill would ban the sale of puppies, cats, and rabbits, from pet stores who are supplied with animals. On a grander scale, the bill aims to tackle puppy mills and end New York's contribution to the exploitative puppy mill industry.

When we look at recent stories of shelters overflowing with adoptable animals, it's even more important now that we end the sale of animals from pet stores. Adoptable animals have once had love, a home, a family, and are now waiting for a second opportunity at that love. We are denying them an opportunity at love to support compassionless breeders who are only looking to line their pockets. A breeder doesn't have the animal's best interests at heart and cares for them only until they are old enough to be sold off to pet stores for profits. These purebreds can often come with severe health issues that are not disclosed, leaving families to endure countless expensive veterinary bills. All around, there is nothing redeemable about breeding animals when shelter animals are readily available.

​Come on Governor Hochul, sign the bill and end animals sales in favour of shelters and giving animals a second chance.

​windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-man-sentenced-to-90-days-in-jail-for-animal-abuse-1.6060078

UPDATE - Windsor man, Tyler Vassell, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for a violent case of animal cruelty that saw him repeatedly strike his innocent dog. The violent crime was caught on an apartment building's security camera with Vassell striking his dog several times, and at one point, slamming the dog against the elevator doors. Despite a push for 9 - 12 months in prison, the court decided on a 90 day sentence to be served on weekends, allowing Vassell to continue to provide for his family.

How do I feel about his sentence? I'm not entirely sure. While I applaud a sentence that actually delivers jail time, I feel as though it's a touch too light and frankly, accommodating given the nature of the violence involved. Look, his family relies on him to provide for them and I understand that but it's almost like saying that we recognize that you committed this heinous crime, but we'll work with you. It minimizes the severity of the crime in my opinion and suggests that while violent and aggressive, it's not a big enough deal to hand out a consecutive sentence. I don't know, I'm conflicted about how accommodating everything seems.

Does 90 days of weekend sentencing really seem fitting given the severity of the crime? When you look at the video and see his poor dog returning to his side after every slug or kick, it's heart breaking. It's such a blatant disregard for his responsibility to care for his dog and that level of violence, fueled by alcohol or not, is alarming. Is accommodating someone who we've collectively agreed committed a crime of violence sending out the right message? Also, when the maximum sentence was between 9 - 12 months, 90 days of weekends seems a bit light to me.

His dog Kojakt, now named Boop after rehabilitation, will suffer life-long pain & mobility issues as a result of the beating he endured. This sort of a beating inflicted life-long perils on an innocent animal who endured an extremely long and grueling road to recovery. I don't know.

In addition to the sentence, Vassell was ordered to pay $1, 800 in restitutions and was given a 10-year ban on owning firearms and will be on probation for 18 months. 

Learn more by visiting my original post about the story below.

​www.thehappyveg.ca/animal-news/windsor-ontario-does-violent-animal-abuse-warrant-jail-time

​apnews.com/article/africa-zimbabwe-animals-wildlife-elephants-4eeeeffe05f444e6b4e4779e954fff5b

"Project Rewild Zambezi" is underway, which will see 2, 500 wild animals moved from a Southern reserve to the Zambezi River region in the North. Although poaching continues to be a vile peril to wild animals in Africa, climate-change fueled drought is now one of the leading perils Africa's wild animals are now up against. The Southern reserve has seen never-ending drought which is pushing wild animals in to neighbouring communities, leading to increased human-animal conflict. 

Back in 1987, Zimbabwe held a massive cull to address over-population, but culls are simply a bandaid for a much bigger problem. As human populations grow, we take more land away from native species which puts more pressure on them to search for food and water. As we continue to take land for housing, development, and agriculture, the animals now are deemed "over-populated" and a cull is seen as a viable solution. Unfortunately, all we're doing is helping along the extinction of these species in order to accommodate humanity. We're constantly working against our own initiatives when it comes to conservation.

Project Rewild Zambezi will see animals like elephants, impalas, buffalo, giraffe, lions, and wildebeests moved over 700 kilometers to their new home. While this will save these animals and rewild the Zambezi region, we must also address the root cause of this necessary relocation; climate change. The fact is, because climate-change continues to be such a divided topic, we're moving too slowly on addressing our biggest short-comings when it comes to our carbon footprint. Look at the most recent devastating flooding affecting Pakistan; it's obvious that things are accelerating and we're not counter-acting things fast enough. How long until the Zambezi region is affected by humanity?

I applaud the efforts made to protect thousands of Africa's imperiled species but I also can't help but worry that this will only stall the inevitable extinction of some of Africa's most recognized and beloved species. What do you guys think?

​worldanimalnews.com/wan-talks-to-doll-stanley-of-in-defense-of-animals-about-the-passage-of-buddys-law-in-mississippi/

The origin of Buddy's Law is unfortunately sad. The law was created after a 12 year old boy was found to have strangled his dog with a cord and set fire to it's face, leaving it in anguish as it burned without any relief. The horrifying incident shocked Mississippi citizens, particularly because at that time, children 12 or younger could not face criminal charges or be psychologically evaluated. The same crime would have seen an adult face felony charges that would have seen them incarcerated for up to 3 years. This is where Buddy's Law was first conceived.

When a child displays this type of aggression and lack of empathy towards another living creature, it's indicative of a much bigger problem. Without evaluation and rehabilitation, a child who commits a violent crime of this nature is almost permitted to continue the cycle of abuse. As they grow older, the abuse towards animals continues and will continue to get more violent as the child grows. Eventually, there's the possibility of that violence evolving in to other crimes like sexual abuse of animals, violence towards women & children, and even violence that leads to death. By ignoring those signs, we're allowing the violence to fester and continue to evolve and we can only blame ourselves for what happens as the child ages and commits more violence.

Buddy's Law is a crucial law that will address the psychological necessities of a child who displays this type of violence. Child or not, there must be accountability in every aspect of our lives, including when a crime of violence is committed. As parents, we discipline our children when they do something wrong in order to help teach them the difference between right and wrong. The law should also reflect that necessity, because addressing violence early on is the only way to prevent escalation. As this story proves, a child is capable of heinous violence much the same as an adult, and without necessary help, the escalation of violence is both predictable and the fault of our laws for being inadequate. 

Buddy's Law is a law that should be adopted throughout the nation. Child or not, violence against animals is a serious crime and should be treated as such. Without rehabilitation, we're setting our children up for a lifetime of violence and we can only blame ourselves.

Learn more about the signing of Buddy's Law below.
​https://www.southernliving.com/travel/mississippi/biloxi-ms