A bill aimed at ending animal testing for cosmetics, has been reintroduced in the United States, supported by 5 U.S. Representatives. The Humane Cosmetics Act would target the use of animals in any cosmetics testing, and would prevent needless suffering to animals in the name of novelty products. As it stands, 10 U.S. States have already enacted a ban on the sale of cosmetics tested on animals, indicating support for a country-wide ban.

Most importantly, The Humane Cosmetics Act would include;

Cosmetics animal testing is animal cruelty, and nothing less. Animals are bred to be subjected to endless testing until they are euthanized, all in the name of products that are not even necessities. It's not like we're talking about life-saving medication, although I still vehemently disagree with testing on animals. We're talking about lotions & creams, body washes, and makeup, things that we can easily purchase cruelty free. There's simply no excuse for the continued abuse of animals in the cosmetics industry when other humane testing methods are available to us. It's time to finally end cosmetics testing in the United States!

Learn more by visiting the original post from World Animal News linked at the top of this post. 

As the housing crisis continues to make renting / buying properties a nightmare, the lack of pet-friendly rentals is getting more scarce and pet-owners are being forced to surrender their pets in order to find a roof over their heads. Nova Scotia is seeing a surge of surrenders this time of year, and while it can typically be blamed on feral cats reproducing, it's also unfortunately the result of a lack of protections for pet-owners, and a lack of availability of rentals that permit pets. This crisis is forcing families apart and filling shelters with animals that have been with their families for half of their lives, unsure of what they've done to be surrendered.

Canada is definitely in the midst of a housing crisis, this cannot be denied. When you look at this crisis, landlords should not be able to suddenly switch course and force renters out who have pets. Not only do no-pet rentals put families in difficult positions, it causes shelters to swell with surrenders, putting immense financial, mental, and physical stress on shelter workers. More surrendered pets means more resources required, a cost a lot of shelters struggle to keep up with. This cycle causes immense stress on families, tears families apart, and puts insurmountable pressure on shelters to adopt out animals when there is such a struggle to find pet-friendly accommodations.

It's not just about Nova Scotia, this is a Canada-wide problem. Landlords are taking liberties and trying to make as much money as possible with as little liability as possible. Landlords could easily take security funds from renters in case of damage from pets, but they don't. They're taking the easier route, the shady route given the current housing crisis. Landlords are knowingly forcing renters in to difficult, emotional predicaments as they weigh the decision of surrendering their furry family in order to find accommodations.

There needs to be a conjoined effort between federal and provincial Governments to find a solution to this problem. The housing crisis isn't going anywhere, but shady landlords who abruptly decide to ban pets is a problem that CAN be tackled. There needs to be protections in place for renters with pets, period. Shelters shouldn't have to burst at the seems with surrendered loved ones because landlords are getting away with forcing people out of their rentals. Things need to change.

The Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act has been reintroduced in the United States, leaving animal advocates hopeful for a second chance. The bill would seek to ban the use of indiscriminately cruel, body gripping traps on all wildlife refuges throughout the United States. Shockingly, these traps are currently permitted on a whopping 43% of the 567 wildlife refuges around the United States. The Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act will ensure that all wildlife refuges are safe for humans and animals alike, free from being indiscriminately trapped by one of these agonizingly painful, body-gripping traps.

What I believe to be the biggest problem with these traps on these wildlife refuges, is that these horrendously painful traps are indiscriminate. This means, that unintended targets are also susceptible to being caught up in these traps. For example, species like The Canadian Lynx, a big cat that has potential to plunge towards extinction, have been documented caught up in these traps. Those visiting these refuges risk their children, pets, or themselves being snapped up inside one of these traps. The agonizing suffering that anyone or anything would endure if snapped in to one of these snares, is unimaginable to me. The fact is, 43% of the United State's refuges offer visitors this potential.

Banning these cruel traps from public, wildlife refuges is a must. We're imposing devastating cruelty on other living creatures, on public wildlife protected spaces. The Government must recognize that these traps are ineffective in targeting intended wildlife, put endangered or unintended species at risk of being killed slowly, and leave visitors to these refuges at risk of serious injury. Keep the refuges safe for all living creatures and ditch the cruel snares and steel leg-hold traps!