This Victorious California Ballot Measure Could Improve the Lives of Farm Animals Nationwide
08 November 2018
Animals
Lester Lefkowitz / Stone / Getty Images
One of the biggest winning groups in Tuesday's midterm elections didn't even get to cast a ballot: the nation's farm animals.
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/california" target="_self">California</a>'s Proposition 12, which requires farmers to give more space for hens, pigs and veal calves, passed with 61 percent of the vote, as <a href="https://abc7news.com/politics/californians-pass-prop-12-farm-animal-confinement-initiative-/4633868/" target="_blank">ABC 7 News reported Wednesday</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="78589" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="J3M2TO1541693606"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1060058860398866433" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We did it, California!!!! https://t.co/spdZK2DbNf</div> — Yes on Prop 12 - Prevent Cruelty CA (@Yes on Prop 12 - Prevent Cruelty CA)<a href="https://twitter.com/YesOnProp12/statuses/1060058860398866433">1541572701.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>But the new law could impact animals well outside California's borders, as <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/california-prop-12-farm-animals-cage-free_us_5be31a73e4b0dbe871a5f5b3?guccounter=1" target="_blank">The Huffington Post</a> pointed out:<br></p><blockquote style="margin-left: 20px;"> Proposition 12, also known as the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, also will eventually ban the sale of agricultural products in California that don't meet the state's new requirements. That means the new law may influence how farmers across the country raise their animals.</blockquote><p>The law will be implemented in two stages.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">1. By 2020, all California egg-laying hens must have at least one square foot of space, and each veal calf must have at least 43 square feet of space.</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><span></span>2. By 2022, female breeding pigs must have at least 24 feet of space, all chickens must be raised cage-free with at least 1 square foot of space each, and all agricultural products sold in California must have been raised in conditions that meet these standards, even if they come from other states.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="7546f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="D5C6OX1541693606"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1060174872859430912" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Thank you California! With your #YesOn12 vote, thousands of farm animals will be spared of pain and suffering from… https://t.co/7uUQ5lqVrg</div> — San Diego Humane Society (@San Diego Humane Society)<a href="https://twitter.com/sdhumane/statuses/1060174872859430912">1541600361.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>California voters already tried to legislate more room for animals in 2008 with the passage of Proposition 2. But that law didn't end up being effective enough for animal rights advocates because it only called for more space without setting numbered requirements. That meant that state officials decided that farmers could still keep chickens in cages as long as they were large enough.<br></p><p>But Proposition 2 provided a successful trial run to see whether its requirements for out-of-state farmers would hold up in court. Twelve states sued to stop the law from applying to producers in other states, and judges so far have rejected those suits, <a href="https://eu.desertsun.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/06/california-approves-prop-12-free-farm-chickens-cages/1917155002/" target="_blank">The Palm Springs Desert Sun reported</a>.</p><p>However, the implementation of both laws is threatened by a provision in the House version of the Farm Bill, as The Desert Sun explained:</p><blockquote>The so-called "King Amendment," introduced by Steve King, R-IA, whose district produces more eggs than any other in the nation, stipulates that states can't impose animal welfare standards onto products imported from other states.<br><br>King says the law would mitigate "the serious economic harm the California law is currently causing to egg producers and consumers in Iowa and elsewhere."<br>
</blockquote><p>There is no guarantee that King's amendment will make it into the final draft, though. More than 30 senators have written a letter opposing the amendment, and the 2014 version of the Farm Bill excised similar language before passing. </p><p>While Proposition 12 was supported by a wide coalition of animal welfare and environmental groups including the <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/" target="_blank">Humane Society of the United States</a> and the <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/california" target="_blank">Sierra Club California</a>, not all animal lovers thought it was a good idea.</p><p><a href="https://www.peta.org/" target="_blank">People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals</a> (PETA) opposed the proposition because, they argued, it would still allow birds to remain caged until 2022, and didn't mandate nearly enough space after that date.</p><p>"We can't and don't consider it remotely humane to confine birds to a miserly 1 square foot of space—and this wouldn't even be required until years in the future," PETA wrote in a <a href="https://www.peta.org/blog/why-we-oppose-californias-farmed-animal-initiative-and-you-should-too/" target="_blank">blog post</a> explaining its position.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="7ebb4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4QUHHC1541693606"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1059546437413994497" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@lwoodhouse Here is why PETA opposes prop 12. https://t.co/gCHFpIpCj6</div> — PETA: Turkeys are killed at 6mo, don’t eat babies (@PETA: Turkeys are killed at 6mo, don’t eat babies)<a href="https://twitter.com/peta/statuses/1059546437413994497">1541450530.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Rangers tranquilized a bear cub to free him from a plastic jar. Maryland Department of Natural Resources - Wildlife & Heritage Service
A Maryland bear cub got himself into a sticky situation over the weekend.
The 100-pound male bear earned himself the nickname "Buckethead" when he got his head stuck in a plastic jar in search of a tasty snack, BBC News reported.
<p>Luckily, the <a href="http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Maryland Department of Human Resources - Wildlife & Heritage Service</a> was able to help him out. After a three-day search, rangers located the cub, tranquilized him and removed the offending jar Saturday night, the service wrote on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mddnrwildlife/" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</p><p>The cub was then immediately returned to the woods and reunited with his mother and one sibling, the service said.<br></p><p>The rangers said they did not know what the jar contained, only that "it smelled good," the <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/buckethead-bear-cub-plastic-jar_us_5bc55af4e4b0d38b58709573" target="_blank">Huffington Post reported</a>. </p><p>"We think it was one that had pretzels or cheese balls in it, by the shape anyway," the department wrote on Facebook, according to the Huffington Post.</p><p>A video taken Friday showed the bear pre-operation.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6a98d2db8b741ea94c3aabe214dfd7ac"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/mddnrwildlife/videos/106912763580806/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div><p>While "Buckethead" got a happy ending, the story is a serious reminder that plastic pollution poses a threat to land <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/animals/" target="_blank">animals</a> as well as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life" target="_self">marine life</a>.<br></p><p>Last month, the <a href="https://www.wihumane.org/wildlife" target="_blank">Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at the Wisconsin Humane Society</a> <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tangled-squirrel-tails--plastic-2605930409.html" target="_self">rescued</a> five juvenile gray squirrel siblings whose tails had gotten tangled together with grass and plastic used to make their nest.</p><p>And thousands of animals who don't make the news are killed or injured every year by trash, the <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/" target="_blank">Humane Society</a> warned in an informational pamphlet called "<a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/wild_neighbors/dont_trash_wildlife.pdf" target="_blank">Don't Trash Wildlife</a>."</p><p>"Food containers become death traps when animals get their heads stuck inside," the pamphlet warned, describing exactly Buckethead's predicament. </p><p>But the Humane Society also offered a list of tips so you can dispose of trash without putting bears, squirrels or other <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildlife" target="_blank">wildlife</a> at risk. </p><ol class="ee-ol"> <li>Rinse all recyclable containers to remove tempting odors.</li><li>Cut or crush plastic containers before disposing of them and cut apart the plastic rings connecting six packs.</li><li>Pick up fishing line or nylon twine when you see it.</li><li>Rinse out plastic wrap and dispose of it inside a sealed garbage bag or in a closed trash can.</li><li>Make sure you collect your trash properly when out in nature.</li><li>Secure trash cans with bungee cords wrapped around the lid and attached to the handles when out for collection and bring them out in the morning instead of the night before. </li></ol><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="0b6a0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="AO3TZF1576662286"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1021398257447178240" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Even Polar Bear Cubs Can't Escape Plastic Pollution | #Plastic #PlasticPollution https://t.co/F3JyeaXzzv</div> — A Plastic Planet (@A Plastic Planet)<a href="https://twitter.com/aplastic_planet/statuses/1021398257447178240">1532355295.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
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Rabbits being held for cosmetic eye-irritancy testing. PA Images via Getty Images
California Governor Jerry Brown signed a first-of-its-kind law banning the sale of animal tested cosmetics Friday, the Huffington Post reported.
"We are grateful to Governor Brown for signing this bill," California state director for the Humane Society of the United States Crystal Moreland said in a press release. "I am proud that California is the first state in the nation to take a stand against cruel cosmetic animal testing."
<p style=""><a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1249" target="_blank">The California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act</a>, which was written by Democratic state Senator Cathleen Galgiani, passed the state legislature earlier in September, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/409058-california-governor-signs-bill-banning-sale-of-animal-tested-cosmetics" target="_blank">The Hill reported</a>. It stipulates that manufacturers cannot "import for profit, sell or offer for sale" any cosmetics tested on animals once the law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020. </p><p style="">Violations will be punished with a fine of $5,000, followed by a fine of $1,000 per day every day the violation continues, the Huffington Post reported. </p><p style="">It is the first law of its kind in the U.S., though similar laws have been passed in the EU, India, Israel and Norway. A national law introduced to Congress last year has not yet been passed, though animal advocates hope California's law might change that.</p><p style="">"We're hopeful this law will encourage the federal government to pass the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2790" target="_blank">Humane Cosmetics Act</a>," program manager for animal research issues at the Humane Society of the United States Vicki Katrinak told the Huffington Post.</p><p style="">The law does allow for some exceptions. Any testing required by federal law can go ahead if there are no alternatives. In addition, companies can pay for animal testing for products and ingredients if it is required by law for sale in foreign markets. It can also sell those same products in California as long as the testing wasn't specifically to determine the safety of the products sold in the state. </p><p style="">China, for example, requires all imported cosmetics be tested on animals, but Katrinak said she hoped the new law would encourage companies to put pressure on countries like China that require testing, since they won't want to pay for two separate tests for markets that require and prohibit animal testing. </p><p style="">"It gives greater impetus for [the cosmetics] industry to push for changes in other countries," Katrinak told the Huffington Post. </p><p style="">Rats, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits are the animals most often used for cosmetic testing. They are used to test whether ingredients will irritate eyes or skin and are sometimes forced to eat or breathe toxic substances. They are often killed after testing.</p><p style="">The Humane Society said such testing is unnecessary, as thousands of products have a history of safe use and there are other ways to assess the safety of ingredients that do not rely on animal testing and are more relevant to human health.</p>
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</p><div id="4062a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="SXWT9Q1576662218"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1031979334091911169" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Wants to End #EPA’s Cruel Animal Testing https://t.co/2ZdesQ1TbR @peta @AnimalPlanet</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1031979334091911169">1534878021.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Lawsuit Launched to Push Trump Administration to Protect Giraffes From Extinction
18 September 2018
Animals
Pexels
Conservation groups Tuesday filed a notice of intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to respond to a legal petition to protect giraffes under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was required to respond to the April 2017 petition within 90 days, but nearly 17 months have passed with no finding.
<p>"As giraffe populations plummet, the Trump administration won't even take the first step toward protecting these beautiful animals," said Tanya Sanerib, international program legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Africa now has fewer giraffes than elephants, but the administration refuses to throw these imperiled creatures a lifeline. That has to change, before it's too late."</p><p>The <a href="https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/mammals/giraffe/pdfs/Giraffe_ESA_Petition_4-18-17.pdf" target="_blank">2017 petition</a>—by the Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society International, Humane Society of the United States, International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Natural Resources Defense Council—seeks Endangered Species Act protection for giraffes, whose populations have plummeted nearly 40 percent over the past 30 years.</p><p>Just more than 97,000 giraffes remain in the wild, and the species is gravely imperiled by habitat loss, civil unrest, hunting for meat and the international trade in bone carvings, skins and trophies. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature elevated the threat level to giraffes from "least concern" to "<a href="https://www.iucn.org/news/secretariat/201612/new-bird-species-and-giraffe-under-threat-%E2%80%93-iucn-red-list" target="_blank">vulnerable</a>" on its "Red List of Threatened Species" in 2016.</p><p>Endangered Species Act protection would help curb imports of giraffe bones and other parts, increase funding for conservation efforts in Africa and raise public awareness of the animals' plight.</p><p>The U.S. provides a large market for giraffe parts. On average, the U.S. imports about one giraffe hunting trophy a day, and the country has imported more than 21,400 giraffe bone carvings over the past decade.</p><p>"Giraffe bones are becoming the new ivory, and the United States is heavily implicated in this deadly international trade," said Sanerib. "We're a big part of the problem, and Endangered Species Act protections for giraffes would help us be part of the solution."</p><p>Known for their six-foot-long necks, distinctive patterning and long eyelashes, giraffes have captured the human imagination for centuries. New research recently revealed that they live in complex societies, much like elephants, and have unique physiological traits, including the highest blood pressure of any land mammal.</p>
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Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at the Wisconsin Humane Society / Facebook
There have been growing concerns about the impact that the 8 million tons of plastic that enter the world's oceans each year have on marine life.
But that oceanic focus doesn't mean land animals are safe from plastic pollution.
<p style=""><a href="https://www.wihumane.org/wildlife" target="_blank">The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at the Wisconsin Humane Society</a> published a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WiscHumaneWildlife/posts/1955484351175432?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAVdb5yTrQTRuiK56qvcvkNSyQ_HvXN-DmVtS9G8OkJ_KNmgHPFSAp3MVmMtkHREExcdsSrj3689Ezb7GbBFXX_cgTevXOf69qJ6lLagXvHtVkM2lokMGQ5pLGmM0QTWA4H99Z2BfeQ--5Vnwt5KYPWAJRCFFTWYEbnrhw5H02_coYlPaKrmw&__tn__=-R" target="_blank">post</a> on its Facebook page Friday detailing what had happened when a "caring finder" alerted the center to five young squirrels in an unusual predicament, <a href="http://www.fox9.com/news/wisconsin-squirrel-siblings-with-entangled-tails-saved-by-veterinarians" target="_blank">KMSP TV reported</a>. </p><p style="">"The tails of these five juvenile Gray Squirrel siblings had become hopelessly entangled with the long-stemmed grasses and strips of plastic their mother used as nest material, and with each other! A predicament that, without careful and quick intervention, would at the least cost each of these squirrels their very important tail (needed for balance and warmth), and likely their lives," the post said.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9d2a225f7c01ed226f5b42bfb40fc67b"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/WiscHumaneWildlife/photos/pcb.1955484351175432/1955468017843732/?type=3&theater"></div></div><p style="">The veterinarians first had to anesthetize the squirrels all at once.<br></p><p>"You can imagine how wiggly and unruly (and nippy!) this frightened, distressed ball of squirrelly energy was," the post said.</p><p style="">The vets then worked on untangling the "Gordian Knot" of tails. </p><p style="">"It was impossible to tell whose tail was whose, and we were increasingly concerned because all of them had suffered from varying degrees of tissue damage to their tails caused by circulatory impairment," the post said.</p><p style="">It took 20 minutes for the vets to use scissors to cut away at the grass and plastic and free the squirrels. The squirrels then began to recover from anesthesia.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a9df9ed6b286c96bbe6f52370b16b4db"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/WiscHumaneWildlife/photos/pcb.1955484351175432/1955468104510390/?type=3&theater"></div></div><p style="">The vets said they would watch the squirrels for a few days to make sure they did not develop tail necrosis caused by a lack of blood flow, but one day after the procedure, they seemed to be doing well.<br></p><p style="">"Now, one day later, they are all bright-eyed, and three of the five are 'bushy-tailed,'" the post said.</p><p style="">According to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data" target="_blank">most recent data</a> provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (<a href="https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data" target="_blank">EPA</a>), 34.5 million tons of plastic were produced in the U.S. in 2015. Only 9.1 percent of that was recycled. 5.4 million tons were burned and the vast majority, 26 million tons, went into landfills. </p><p style=""><a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/" target="_blank">The Humane Society of the United States</a> (HSUS) wrote that it often has to rescue animals from littered items. </p><p style="">"Plastic items become intestinal blockages; baited fishing lines entangle limbs, hindering movement and causing dismemberment; and aluminum cans with leftover soda or beer turn into razor-sharp traps," HSUS wrote in a <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/news/magazines/2009/07-08/the_deadly_truth_about_trash.html" target="_blank">2010 blog post</a>.</p>Across the ocean, the UK <a href="https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/litter" target="_blank">Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals</a> estimated it got an average of 14 calls a day about animals endangered by litter.
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Humane Society
Conservation groups say the United States is playing a role in the significant decline of wild giraffe populations by allowing their skin, bones and other body parts to be sold on the U.S. market.
From 2006 to 2015, the U.S. imported approximately 40,000 giraffe parts and products, thought to represent nearly 4,000 individual giraffes, according to a report released Thursday by Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International.
<p style="">
The report reveals that giraffe parts and products are sold online and in stores by at least 51 dealers across the country. An undercover investigator visited 21 of these stores and found products such as giraffe leather boots, knives and carvings made from their bones, taxidermy trophies, and pillows, rugs, book covers and furniture made from skin and hide.
</p><p>
<span></span>Additionally, the report said that some of these sellers have criminal records for serious animal-related crimes, including the trafficking of rhino horn.
</p><p>
The U.S. does not prohibit the sale of such products, which is why Humane Society and
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/giraffe-endangered-species-protection-2368848858.html">other conservation organizations</a> are petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the giraffe as "<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species">endangered</a>" under the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/endangered-species-act">Endangered Species Act</a> to restrict the import, export and sale of giraffe specimens in the U.S.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="3ddcf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6HCP6X1576683803"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1032648580002131968" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Take action now! Please sign the petition to list giraffes as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, which wo… https://t.co/rKAyp7f6XH</div> — The Humane Society of the United States (@The Humane Society of the United States)<a href="https://twitter.com/HumaneSociety/statuses/1032648580002131968">1535037581.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
Africa's giraffe population has
<a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/attachments/37" target="_blank">declined by 40 percent</a> in the past 30 years, from 150,000 in 1985 to less than 100,000 individuals today. Their decline has been attributed to habitat loss, hunting for meat and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/poaching" target="_blank">poaching</a>. In December 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature moved the mammal's conservation status from "least concern" to "vulnerable" on its Red List of Threatened Species.
</p><p style="">
On average,
<a href="http://www.hsi.org/assets/pdfs/giraffe_esa_petition_2017.pdf" target="_blank">more than one giraffe per day</a> is imported into the U.S. by American trophy hunters, Humane Society said in a <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2018/08/undercover-investigation.html" target="_blank">press release</a>, adding that increased demand for giraffe specimens in the U.S. is fueling more killing of the vulnerable species.
</p><p>
<span></span>Hunting advocates <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/big-game-hunter-dead-giraffe-2583505970.html">contend</a> that hunting big game provides local economies with funds for wildlife conservation programs. In a comment to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/science/giraffe-sales-humane-society.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, Safari Club International said that "despite the rhetoric in the media, legal regulated hunting is one of the most effective means of conservation."
</p><p style="">
But killing giraffes for trophies, accessories and trinkets adds to the major threats causing the species to decline, according to Kitty Block, acting president and CEO of Humane Society U.S. and president of its international arm.
</p><p style="">
"Purchasing giraffe parts puts the entire species at risk. The giraffe is going quietly extinct. With the wild population at just under 100,000, there are now fewer than one third the number of giraffes in Africa than elephants," Block said in a statement.
</p><p>
"We urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the giraffe as endangered under the Endangered Species Act to help combat this trade and reduce population declines before it's too late," she said.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="468a5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="V9THVB1576683804"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="917893792119783426" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Conservationists Sound Alarm on Plummeting Giraffe Numbers https://t.co/sxmfbcM9Ni @environmentca @wwf_uk</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/917893792119783426">1507677908.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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Robert Redford, Ed Harris, Elle Fanning to Congress: Oppose Mass Slaughter of Wild Horses
17 July 2017
Popular
Kathy Milani / The Humane Society of the United States
Robert Redford, Ed Harris, Elle Fanning, Ian Somerhalder and countless other equine enthusiasts joined The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Legislative Fund, Return to Freedom and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to draw attention to the threat posed to wild horses and burros.
<p>"My family and I stand strongly against horse slaughter and against our government harming our wild horses," said actor and director Ed Harris. "I am pleading that a humane and common sense solution to the management of our wild horse population be mandated by Congress in keeping with the spirit of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed"></p><div id="56ff6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8V0MYS1500387013"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="838887018667061252" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Wild Horses Under Siege on Public Lands https://t.co/5NSBGDDwBd @greenpeaceusa @Sierra_Magazine</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/838887018667061252">1488841225.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p>
<p>Since the implementation of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has attempted to maintain stable populations by rounding up and removing thousands of horses and burros from the wild, despite repeated directives that this was leading the program to financial instability.</p><p>The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society Legislative Fund, Return to Freedom and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have long called for the agency to cease these actions and instead redirect money spent on capturing and holding wild horses toward available solutions, including judicious use of safe, proven fertility control on the range.</p><p>The BLM did not listen, and now they want to fix their mistakes by slaughtering wild horses.</p><p>Provisions in the budget proposed by the administration would allow the BLM to kill captured wild horses or sell them without restriction—a change that would enable buyers to purchase wild horses on the cheap and haul them to Canada or Mexico for slaughter.</p><p>If Congress approves provisions in the president's budget, then tens of thousands of horses will die.</p><p>On Tuesday July 18, the House Committee on Appropriations will vote on the 2018 Interior Appropriations bill. The bill, approved by the House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, maintains protective language, but there is a chance it might be amended in full committee and removed creating a pathway to slaughter.</p><p>Wild horse supporters are raising their voices to ensure the protections remain.</p><p><em>Here's the letter sent to Congress from actors, singers, screenwriters and scientists urging them to oppose wild horse slaughter:</em></p><p><strong>We Stand with America's Wild Horses and Burros</strong></p><p>Our nation's iconic wild horses are fighting for their lives and we cannot stand by silently and let that happen. </p><p>We the undersigned call on Congress to oppose provisions in the president's 2018 budget that threatens the lives of tens of thousands of wild horses and burros that will be senselessly killed or easily sold to those who would profit from their slaughter. </p><p>For decades, we have had available humane solutions, which would keep wild equines on the range and save tax dollars. Sadly, agencies continue to discredit proven alternatives instead of committing to implement them. </p><p>The American people have repeatedly and resoundingly called for wild horses and burros—the descendants of the animals who helped build our country, made our own freedom possible and shaped a vital part of our cultural heritage—to live free on the range. </p><p>Two years after the passage of the "Wild Horse Annie Act," which banned the use of vehicles to hunt down wild horses sold for slaughter, the 1961 movie "The Misfits" brought the brutal practices of the mustangers onto the big screen. Marilyn Monroe cried out on behalf of audiences when she pleaded for a roped and struggling wild horse to b set free. </p><p>A decade later, in 1971, the overwhelming passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act enshrined in law the historic bond between Americans and wild horses and the policy of Congress "that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment or death." </p><p>Yet, for all that apparent progress, the lives of tens of thousands of captive wild horses are again at risk. </p><p>As American citizens and as voters, we do not accept the use of our tax dollars, which for so many years were invested in the health and safety of the captive wild horses and burros, to now pay for the destruction of these noble animals because they have been deemed inconvenient. It is unnecessary and unconscionable. </p><p>The American people would never forgive such a betrayal. </p><p>We respectfully urge Congress to take a leadership role by opposing mass euthanasia, slaughter and unrestricted sales and, instead, work together to forge a bipartisan, well-reasoned and humane management plan worthy of these "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" by recognizing and prioritizing viable alternatives that do exist.</p><p>As a nation, we can and must do better. </p><p>Respectfully, </p><p>Robert Redford, Actor, Director, Advocate; Governor Bill Richardson, Politician; Wendie Malick, Actress, Advocate; Willie Nelson, Musician, Advocate; Ed Harris, Actor, Director; Amy Madigan, Actress; Lily Harris, Student; Elle Fanning, Actress; Ian Somerhalder, Actor; Carol Burnett, Actress; Ali MacGraw, Actress; Dr. Ross MacPhee Professor and Curator of Mammals, AMNH; Allen Rutberg, PhD, North Grafton, MA.; Bonnie-Jill Laflin, Fox Sports / BBC sportscaster; Priscilla Presley, Actress, Entrepreneur; Noah Wyle, Actor; Sam Elliott, Actor; Katherine Ross, Actress; Robert Gossett, Actor; Claire Forlani, Actress; Dougray Scott, Actor; Debbie Levin, CEO Environmental Media Association; Huey Lewis, Musician; Diane Warren, Songwriter; Scarlet Rivera, Musician; David Midthunder, Lakota Pipe Carrier, Actor; Amber Midthunder, Lakota Dancer, Actress; John Fusco, Writer; David Franzoni, Screenwriter, Geologist; Petrine Day Mitchum, Author, Film Historian; Robert Knott, Writer, Producer, Actor; Rex Linn, Actor; Rachael Worby, Artistic Director MUSE/IQUE; Lance Bass, Producer, Singer; Jill Rappaport, Media host, Advocate; Ed Asner, Actor; Mike Smith, Hall of Fame Jockey; Peri Gilpin, Actress; Laraine Newman, Actress, Comedian; Laura San Giacomo, Actress; Frances Fisher, Actress; Anjelica Huston, Actress; Jessika Van, Actress; Ray Abruzzo, Actor; Dan Lauria, Actor; Victory Tischler-Blue, Producer, Photographer; Tony Stromberg, Photographer; Amber Valletta, Actress; Kimberly Van Der Beek, Producer; Hart Bochner, Actor; Daryl Wein, Writer, Director; Olivia Newton John, Singer, Actress; Mickey Rourke, Actor; Jeff Franklin, Creator / Executive Producer; John Stamos, Actor; Beth Behrs, Actress; and Drew Carey, Comedian / Host<span></span></p>
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France Bans Captive Breeding of Dolphins and Whales While SeaWorld Still Invests in It
15 May 2017
Popular
Captive dolphins at Marineland Antibes in France. John Clift
By Laura Bridgeman
The French government passed new legislation earlier this month aimed at phasing out all dolphin and whale captivity, a move that reflects growing public awareness and concern over the poor living conditions cetaceans are forced to endure in captivity.
<p>The new law prohibits keeping any cetacean captive, with the ultimate goal being to entirely shut down the archaic industry throughout France. For those unfortunate individuals who are already held captive at facilities such as Marineland Antibes in the French Riviera, the legislation stipulates that no captive breeding can be done. It also prohibits direct contact between captive cetaceans and humans—putting an end to swim-with-dolphins programs—and requires that pools and tanks be made "significantly larger." Facilities have been given up to three years to comply with the new rules.</p><p>Environment Minister Segolene Royal had signed an earlier version of the law that imposed strict controls on dolphin breeding, but then decided to take a "more radical" approach, resulting in a total phase-out of the industry. According to the ministry, this decision was influenced by information that captive animals were being drugged in some facilities. </p><p>France joins a growing list of countries that have begun to phase out and ban cetacean captivity. In 2013, India banned cetacean captivity outright; Canada is currently considering doing the same with <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/03/19/senate-bill-to-free-the-whales-faces-a-rough-ride-walkom.html" target="_blank">Bill S-203</a>. Many facilities located in countries that have not yet taken such measures are phasing out their cetacean exhibits on their own, including the Baltimore Aquarium, the Vancouver Aquarium and the <a href="http://savedolphins.eii.org/news/entry/barcelona-shutting-down-its-dolphinarium" target="_blank">Barcelona Aquarium</a>.</p><p>However, the global cetacean entertainment industry leader—the U.S. based company SeaWorld Inc.—has so far refused to divest from this industry that has been proven unethical and harmful for dolphins and whales.</p><p>Last year, <a href="http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/why_seaworlds_decision_to_end_orca_breeding_important_but_not_enough/" target="_blank">SeaWorld did announce</a> that the company would phase out its orca breeding program—which involved separating mothers from young calves—and pledged to stop theatrical-type shows, claiming that it would instead present orcas to the public in a more "naturalistic" way. The move drew praise from many groups, including the <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/" target="_blank">Humane Society of the United States</a>. However, at the time of the announcement, a ban on the very things SeaWorld had pledged to give up was being considered by California legislators. Sponsored by state assembly member Richard Bloom and drawing huge public support, the Orca Protection and Safety Act was signed into law just six months after SeaWorld's announcement, leading many to question the company's motivations behind their seemingly noble voluntary pledge.</p><p>While SeaWorld has agreed that this generation of orcas will be their last (although a calf was born last month, meaning that SeaWorld could display orcas for another 50 years), they have doubled-down on exploitation of other cetacean species. The company's San Antonio facility <a href="http://www.ksat.com/summer-fun/seaworld-san-antonios-discovery-point-allows-guests-to-swim-with-dolphins" target="_blank">recently unveiled</a> a massive swim-with program that uses beluga whales and dolphins, and Seaworld currently holds <a href="http://www.cetabase.org/captive/cetacean/" target="_blank">176 cetaceans</a> at facilities across the country. Questions also remain around what the company's breeding policies are for other non-Orca species.</p><p>David Phillips, director of Earth Island Institute's <a href="http://savedolphins.eii.org/" target="_blank">International Marine Mammal Project</a>, said France's new law is a "crucial recognition that … breeding ban[s] must include all orcas and other dolphins," and points out that "SeaWorld is desperately holding onto the myth that ending orca breeding solves all their public relations problems."</p><p>"Orcas may be the largest members of the dolphin family, but they are still dolphins," Phillips added. "It is similarly cruel and abusive to hold all species of dolphins in concrete tanks. All dolphin breeding must be ended."</p><p>SeaWorld may be betting that the public will see nothing wrong with dolphin or other whale captivity as long as it does not involve orcas. But the numbers seem to suggest otherwise: In a statement issued Tuesday, the company revealed that their attendance and <a href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/local/article/SeaWorld-loses-61M-in-first-quarter-on-falling-11132589.php" target="_blank">revenue plunged</a> more than 15 percent in the first quarter of 2017, translating into a $61 million loss. This is a continuation of what appears to be a serious downward trend in SeaWorld's business ever since the shocking <a href="http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/seaworld_staff_have_become_master_storytellers_who_believe_their_own_tales/" target="_blank">documentary <em>Blackfish</em></a> hit theaters in 2013.</p><p>There exist other options for the cetaceans it holds captive, though SeaWorld has so far refused to explore them.</p><p>"Dolphins and whales of all species can and should be retired to seaside sanctuaries for retirement or, where feasible, returned to the wild," said Phillips. He sits on the board of the <a href="http://www.whalesanctuaryproject.org/" target="_blank">Whale Sanctuary Project</a>, a new organization that aims to establish the world's first cold-water sanctuary that can accommodate orcas. The project recently received a <a href="http://people.com/pets/seaworld-whales-sanctuary-munchkin-donation/" target="_blank">$1 million dollar cash infusion</a> to support their efforts. "The France edict is more proof that it is time for SeaWorld to wake up to the reality that people don't want to see dolphins and whales being used for any reason," said Phillips.</p><p>While France has made progressive changes that reduce suffering for cetaceans, SeaWorld continues to disregard entirely what the public, and the bottlenose dolphins, belugas, and orcas themselves might want—to the detriment of its business. </p><p><strong>Take action:</strong> <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/seaworld-must-stop-false-claims-about-captive-orcas?source=direct_link&" target="_blank">Sign the petition</a> to force SeaWorld to stop lying about its treatment of cetaceans.</p><p><em>Laura Bridgeman is director of <a href="http://wearesonar.org/" target="_blank">Sonar</a>, an organization that advocates for dolphin and whale personhood, and Campaign & Communications Specialist at Earth Island's <a href="http://immp.eii.org/" target="_blank">International Marine Mammal Project</a>. </em><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/france_bans_dolphin_captivity_seaworld_invests_in_it/" target="_blank">Earth Island Journal</a>.</em></p>
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Court Orders EPA to Close Loophole, Factory Farms Required to Report Toxic Pollution
11 April 2017
Popular
Photo credit: Environmental Law & Policy Center of the Midwest
The DC Circuit Court ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tuesday to close a loophole that has allowed hazardous substances released into the environment by concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to go unreported.
<p>"We applaud the DC Circuit Court's clear decision to enforce this vital environmental safeguard to protect public safety," said <a href="http://earthjustice.org/" target="_blank">Earthjustice</a> attorney Jonathan Smith, who helped argue the case before the court.</p><p>"In the words of the court, the risk of air emissions from CAFOs 'isn't just theoretical; people have become seriously ill and even died' from these emissions. But the public cannot protect itself from these hazardous substances if CAFOs aren't required to report their releases to the public. The loophole also prevented reporting of these toxics to local and state responders and the court held that plainly violated the law."</p><p>CAFOs are large-scale livestock facilities that confine large numbers of animals in relatively small spaces. A large <a href="http://waterkeeperalliance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d9.43%3b%26JDG%3c%3b37%2f76%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=MC&RI=3646645&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=6713&Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">CAFO</a> may contain upward of 1,000 cattle, 2,500 hogs or 125,000 chickens. Such facilities generate a massive amount of urine and feces, which is commonly liquefied and either stored under the facility or nearby in open-air lagoons. This waste is known to release high levels of toxic pollutants like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide into the environment.</p><p>The court's decision closes a loophole that exempted CAFOs from the same pollutant reporting required of other industries to ensure public safety. Prior to the promulgation of this loophole at the end of the Bush administration in 2008, federal law long required CAFOs, like all other industrial facilities, to notify government officials when toxic pollution levels exceeded public safety thresholds.</p><p>"Corporate agricultural operations have always been well-equipped to report on hazardous substances," said Abel Russ of the Environmental Integrity Project. "Now they will once again be required to do so."</p><p>This ruling is the latest turn in Earthjustice's advocacy on behalf of environmental and animal advocacy groups including <a href="http://waterkeeperalliance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d9.43%3b%26JDG%3c%3b37%2f76%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=MC&RI=3646645&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=6712&Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">Waterkeeper Alliance</a>, <a href="http://waterkeeperalliance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d9.43%3b%26JDG%3c%3b37%2f76%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=MC&RI=3646645&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=6711&Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">Humane Society of the United States</a>, <a href="http://waterkeeperalliance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d9.43%3b%26JDG%3c%3b37%2f76%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=MC&RI=3646645&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=6710&Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">Sierra Club</a>, <a href="http://waterkeeperalliance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d9.43%3b%26JDG%3c%3b37%2f76%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=MC&RI=3646645&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=6709&Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">Center for Food Safety</a> and <a href="http://waterkeeperalliance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d9.43%3b%26JDG%3c%3b37%2f76%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=MC&RI=3646645&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=6708&Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">Environmental Integrity Project</a>.</p><p>"People have a right to know if CAFOs are releasing hazardous substances that can pose serious risks of illness or death into the air near their homes, schools, businesses and communities," said Kelly Foster, senior attorney for Waterkeeper Alliance.</p><p>"This ruling ensures that the public will be able to obtain this information in the future and will hopefully spur EPA to start responding when hazardous substances reach toxic levels."</p><p>Nearly three-quarters of the nation's ammonia air pollution come from CAFOs. Once emitted into the air, this ammonia then redeposits on land or water, adding to nitrogen pollution and water quality impairments in places like the Chesapeake Bay.</p><p>"CAFO waste pollutes our air and waterways and creates dangerous food pathogens. This decision forces these operations to be transparent about their environmental impact," said Paige Tomaselli of the Center for Food Safety.</p><p>CAFOs can be terrible air polluters. People who live near them often suffer from constant exposure to foul odors and the toxic effects of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Low levels of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and high levels can be fatal.</p><p>"This safeguard isn't just about protecting the environment; it's about making entire communities safe for the people who live in them," said Sierra Club staff attorney Katie Schaefer.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, CAFO pollution also severely impacts the animals raised at the CAFO.</p><p>"Animal factories force billions of animals to suffer dangerously high levels of toxic air pollution day after day for their entire lives," said Humane Society of The United States' Chief Counsel Jonathan Lovvorn. "This ruling helps shine a light on the horrors of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/factory-farming">factory farms</a> and the hidden costs to animals, people and the environment."</p>
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50 Native Tribes Join Fight to Prevent Delisting of Yellowstone Grizzly Bears
30 September 2016
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Tribal leaders from the U.S. and Canada signed a joint treaty today opposing the proposed delisting of Yellowstone grizzly bears by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). More than 50 federally recognized tribes, backed by the 900,000-member Assembly of First Nations, support the treaty.
<p>The USFWS has been working to remove the Yellowstone grizzly bear from the threatened species list under the Endangered Species Act since 2005. <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/david-suzuki-trophy-hunting-1999211166.html">Trophy hunters</a> have been waiting for the opportunity to put a grizzly head on their walls ever since.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed"></p><div id="ff5ef" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="SO386M1494858125"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="708780917163233284" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Grizzly Bears at Risk of Being Hunted for the First Time in Decades https://t.co/1XYPyaYEri @ConservationOrg @environmentca</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/708780917163233284">1457821513.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p>In 2007, the Greater Yellowstone grizzly bear population was delisted, but a court challenge was upheld and it was returned to the <a href="http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/mt/home/?cid=nrcs144p2_057920" target="_blank">threatened species list</a> in 2009. The bears survived another court challenge when the USFWS appealed the decision to overturn the delisting, but an appellate court <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/court-upholds-endangered-status-for-grizzlies-1881557993.html">ruled</a> in <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bearesa.htm" target="_blank">favor of the bears</a> in 2011. Now, the USFWS is back for another try.<br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy84MTM5MDM3L29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjU5NjE3MzMwfQ.oho1HP7R5TZI9JzBRvOFHoj1HQMNdM7m31xs1hN3KFA/img.jpg?width=980" id="69274" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="122cd213a8623726d27bb5831133be3e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add caption..." class="image-media media-caption">Chief Stanley Grier of the Piikani Nation.</small><small placeholder="add photo credit..." class="image-media media-photo-credit">Native News Online.net</small></p><p>"The grizzly bear has been significant to the Blackfoot people since the time of our Creation," <a href="http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/blackfoot-confederacy-leaders-call-us-government-grizzly-delisting-an-act-of-cultural-genocide/" target="_blank">said</a> Chief Stanley Grier of the Piikani Nation, where one of several treaty ceremonies will take place today. <span></span><br></p><p>"It is cultural genocide. I wouldn't put it any other way," <a href="http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/blackfoot-confederacy-leaders-call-us-government-grizzly-delisting-an-act-of-cultural-genocide/" target="_blank">said</a> Blackfeet councilwoman Cheryl Little Dog. "To delist and allow trophy hunting of the grizzly bear is the government again saying to our people, 'Forget how sacred the grizzly bear is. Forget your sacred ways.'"</p><p>Grizzly bears once roamed the American West from California—where it is on the state flag—to the Great Plains and south to Mexico. By 1975, when the grizzly was added to the threatened species list, it was down to just two percent of its traditional range, and just 136 bears were left in the the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/ecosystem.htm" target="_blank">Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem</a>—which includes Yellowstone, Grand Teton and John D. Rockefeller national parks, along with national forests, the National Elk Refuge and some state and private lands in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.<br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy84MTM5MDgwL29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjYyODM0OTc0fQ.B3n4GNhfMh5asklX__xkTTYw8BVDE9ktU3VR6Z-Ghrg/img.jpg?width=980" id="ea1b0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a47bce73a08baebda6f38882e6734433" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add caption..." class="image-media media-caption">Map of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.</small><small placeholder="add photo credit..." class="image-media media-photo-credit">National Park Service / Yellowstone Spatial Analysis Center</small></p><p>Today, there are about 150 grizzly bears with home ranges in <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/love-wildlife-check-out-these-11-stunning-photos-from-yellowstone-nati-1882192140.html">Yellowstone National Park</a>, and between 674 and 839 in the 34,375-square-mile Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The USFWS contends that this equates to recovery of the bears to a sustainable population. Conservationist Jane Goodall and 57 other scientists and experts <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/jane-goodall-among-58-scientists-urging-government-to-halt-grizzly-de--1891128685.html">disagree</a>. </p><p>In May, they <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/jane-goodall-among-58-scientists-urging-government-to-halt-grizzly-de--1891128685.html">called on</a> the USFWS to keep the bears protected. In July, a <a href="http://www.defendersblog.org/2016/07/future-yellowstone-grizzly-bears/" target="_blank">post</a> on the Defenders of Wildlife blog noted:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"These grizzlies are also still isolated. Years of protection and conservation work have created a relatively safe landscape for the bears in this region, but not necessarily beyond it. With dangerous roads and human development criss-crossing a patchwork of habitats, it will be a difficult journey for Yellowstone grizzlies to safely travel to other grizzly bear populations or for bears from other populations to get to the Yellowstone ecosystem – something Yellowstone bears need to help the species remain healthy and resilient to change."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed"></p><div id="ce8a2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="UAH7TR1494858125"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="728622873536020482" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Jane Goodall Among 58 Scientists Urging Government to Halt #Grizzly De-Listing https://t.co/MPT5m6cWVG @NWF @NRDC https://t.co/Gk8UXkkjqf</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/728622873536020482">1462552204.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p>Should the grizzly bear lose its protected states, Montana residents will soon be able to fork over just $150 for a permit to shoot and kill a grizzly during two proposed hunting seasons, in late fall and early spring. Last year, a bear popular with wildlife watchers and photographers who earned the nickname Scarface was <a href="http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com//2016/05/06/scarface-famous-yellowstone-grizzly-shot-dead-twilight-years-164401" target="_blank">shot illegally</a> near Gardiner, Montana, outside the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. <br></p><p>In August, the <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/" target="_blank">Humane Society of the United States</a>, the <a href="http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/" target="_blank">Center for Biological Diversity</a> and Bozeman resident Clint Nagel filed suit against the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission over adoption of its trophy hunting plan.</p><p>"By specifically targeting the biggest and strongest males, trophy hunting reduces the genetic viability of a species and has cascading impacts on the social dynamics of apex predators, including increasing infanticide," <a href="http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2016/08/22/montanas-regulations-for-hunting-grizzly-bears-is-challenged-as-illegal/" target="_blank">wrote</a> The Wildlife News.<br></p><p>Todd Wilkinson, author of <em>Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek</em>, <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160304-grizzlies-bears-animals-science-endangered-species0/" target="_blank">writing</a> for National Geographic, stated, "Grizzlies' rarity has made them valuable assets, economically worth far more alive than as a person's rug or trophy."<span></span></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy84MTM5MTE1L29yaWdpbi5qcGciLCJleHBpcmVzX2F0IjoxNjI3ODQ1MjY0fQ.hI_lW2tJgpaurftPh1xWBNCsrdZYe_vIuI87ZKzQxP8/img.jpg?width=980" id="0fdbb" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2cd4571cf59eed7cfb886ec3ea44450c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"><small placeholder="add caption..." class="image-media media-caption">Today, there are about 150 grizzly bears with home ranges in Yellowstone National Park, and between 674 and 839 in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.</small><small placeholder="add photo credit..." class="image-media media-photo-credit">National Park Service</small></p><p>But the debates over hunting and the scientific merits of delisting leave out the interests of Native peoples, and as we've learned from <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/arrests-dakota-access-pipeline-2022534609.html">Standing Rock</a>, they are not about to give up the fight for their lands and a healthy environment. In the statement March 3, <a href="https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/pressrel/2016/03032016_US_Fish_and_Wildlife_Service_Proposes_Delisting_Yellowstone_Grizzly_Bear_Due_To_Recovery.php" target="_blank">statement</a> from USFWS announcing the proposed delisting, service director Dan Ashe said, "We are look forward to hearing from the public about the proposal and consulting with Native American tribes." <span></span></p><p>Tribal leaders have denounced the consultation process. </p><p>"Our formal request for consultation has been ignored," <a href="http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/feds-dismiss-tribes-rights-on-grizzly-publish-proposed-rule-to-allow-trophy-hunting-of-bear/" target="_blank">wrote</a> Hopi Chairman Herman Honanie in a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. </p><p>Native leaders also question USFWS' choice of consultancy <a href="http://www.amecfw.com" target="_blank">Amec Foster Wheeler</a><a href="http://www.amecfw.com"></a> to conduct the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/07142016_GrizzlyBearPeerReview.pdf" target="_blank">peer review</a> process for the delisting of the Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears. The company says that it serves "the oil & gas, clean energy, environment & infrastructure and mining markets" and lists projects including oil and gas pipeline development. </p><p>In a letter from the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/native-american-land-grab-2010250967.html">Navajo Nation</a> to Secretary Jewell, president Russell Begaye and vice president Jonathan Nez<span></span> <a href="http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/navajo-nation-calls-feds-grizzly-delisting-claims-reinforces-link-dakota-access/" target="_blank">wrote</a>, "It is very troubling to see the influence of corporate energy companies on this delisting decision." </p><p>"Tribes have endured two centuries of deception and deceit when dealing with the U.S. government, and this rule that will provide rich wasicu [non-Indians] with the legal authority to trophy hunt our sacred relative, the grizzly bear, is a continuation of that pattern," <a href="http://www.indianz.com/News/2016/020683.asp" target="_blank">said</a> Tom Poor Bear, vice president of the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/dakota-access-pipeline-dog-attack-1998191259.html">Oglala Sioux Tribe</a>, earlier this year. </p><p>The <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article104649801.html" target="_blank">treaty</a> signed today makes a statement about the core interests of Native American and Native Canadian peoples in the survival of the grizzly bear.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed"></p><div id="a0699" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="YEXFOI1494858125"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="778284149421596673" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Federal Bill Seeks First Native American Land Grab in 100 Years https://t.co/qvNtJMjxDJ @Frack_Off @FrackAction @VanJones68 @shailenewoodley</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/778284149421596673">1474392375.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p>
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