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The number of news found: 40.

09/29/2012 CALIFORNIA GOV. BROWN SIGNS BILL TO END HOUNDING OF BEARS AND BOBCATS

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed S.B. 1221 into law–to ban the unsporting and inhumane practice of hound hunting of black bears and bobcats in California. It was the publishing in early February this year of a grisly photo of his mountain lion kill in Idaho by the then-president of the California Fish and Game Commission that thrust the issue of hounding into the spotlight. The photo came to light after it was published in a hunting newspaper, and it prompted The HSUS to talk to Sen. Lieu about taking care of this unfinished business.

09/28/2012 DOCTORS DENOUNCE TRANSFER OF 100 "RETIRED" CHIMPANZEES TO TEXAS LABORATORY

The National Institutes of Health announced that it is making 110 of its 563 chimpanzees ineligible for research. One hundred are scheduled to be moved to Texas Biomed, a laboratory in San Antonio, Texas, that was fined more than $25,000 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for violating the Animal Welfare Act, according to the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). The other 10 chimpanzees will go to Chimp Haven, a sanctuary. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also moving away from chimpanzee experiments. The agency said it no longer conducts chimpanzee experiments, according to a letter the agency wrote to PCRM. 

09/28/2012 PETA WANTS MOUNTAIN TOWN'S NEW YEAR'S EVE POSSUM DROP HALTED

A national animal rights group is waging a legal fight to stop a small North Carolina mountain town's tradition of lowering a caged possum on New Year's Eve. Senior Administrative Law Judge Fred Morrison refused Tuesday to dismiss a legal challenge filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals against the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The state agency issues a permit for the annual Possum Drop held in Brasstown, located near the state's western tip. PETA's lawyers contend the possum drop is illegal and cruel. Despite the name, no possum is dropped at the event, which attracts thousands to the tiny hamlet. Rather, the captive critter is suspended in a see-through box covered with holiday tinsel and gently lowered to the ground at midnight. PETA attorney Martina Bernstein said possums are timid animals and can actually die from the stress. She likened the New Year's Eve event to torture for the animal.

09/27/2012 $75,000 FINE AND PROBATION HANDED DOWN IN NOTORIOUS HORSE SORING CASE

On Sept 18, in a packed Chattanooga courtroom, the Hon. Harry S. Mattice, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, handed down penalties in the horse abuse case involving Jackie McConnell - the Hall of Fame trainer of Tennessee walking horses, who in 2011 was captured on tape by an HSUS undercover investigator intentionally injuring the animals under his charge in order to get them to step higher and win ribbons at horse shows. McConnell is now a convicted federal felon. The judge fined him $75,000 and sentenced him to three years supervised probation - specifically requiring him to report "any involvement with horses" to his probation officer - and to 300 hours of community service to be performed for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's the stiffest sentence ever handed down under the Horse Protection Act. 

09/26/2012 DAIRY AND BEEF FARMERS FEEDING COWS GUMMY WARMS AND COOKIES

The 2012 drought has decimated the corn crop causing farmers to search for different types of feed to give their dairy and beef cows. Not that a diet of corn has ever been the most healthy diet for cows, but the new feed some farmers are giving to their herds is downright despicable. Examples of the kinds of foods being used to get through this season as cheaply as possible include cookies, gummy worms, marshmallows, fruit loops, orange peels, and dried cranberries. The fruit is the best thing on that menu, but marshmallows and gummy worms? Not all farmers are jumping on the candy wagon. Most others are choosing different alternatives like distillers grains, cottonseed hulls, rice products, potato products, peanut pellet and wheat middlings. But the truth is, nearly everyone is struggling to feed their cows when there is no corn to be found.

09/26/2012 STRICT SHARK FINNING BAN MOVES FORWARD IN EUROPE!

The Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament voted in Brussels on Sept 19 to support a strict ban on shark finning, both in European Union waters and on EU ships worldwide. The European Union contains several major shark fishing nations, responsible for 14% of all reported shark catches worldwide. This new policy would close loopholes in EU's existing shark finning policy, which allowed some vessels to remove fins at sea. It will have to be approved by the rest of the Parliament before it can go into effect. Shark finning is a cruel and wasteful practice where fishers cut off a shark's fins, often while it is still alive, and then toss the rest of the shark overboard to die. Sharks everywhere are facing strong fishing pressures, with many species now classified as threatened or endangered.

09/25/2012 BOLIVIA ENACTS LAW TO PROTECT AMAZON PINK DOLPHINS

Evo Morales has enacted a law aimed at protecting a unique species of dolphins that live in the country's Amazon rivers. The new legislation bans fishing freshwater pink dolphins and declares the species a national treasure. At a ceremony along the shores of the Ibare river, President Morales called on the armed forces to protect the habitats of the pink dolphins. The species is threatened by erosion, pollution and logging in the Amazon. The Bolivian pink dolphin, whose scientific name is Inia boliviensis, is similar to mammals found in neighbouring Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. Male Bolivian freshwater pink dolphins can weigh up to 200kg (440 pounds). An appendix to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (Cites) says the species is vulnerable because of overfishing in the Amazon basin. But it says the main threat is the contamination of rivers in the region by mercury, used in illegal gold mining operations.

09/25/2012 SHARK FIN BAN SOUGHT BY VANCOUVER COUNCIL

Vancouver city council has voted unanimously to start working on what could become a ban on the sale and trade of shark-fin products in much of Metro Vancouver. Councillor Kerry Jang said that Vancouver's decision to work with the neighbouring cities of Burnaby and Richmond on a shark-fin sale and trade ban is a major move in saving sharks from extinction.  The proposed ban also marks a huge step forward in cultural relations with the Chinese-Canadian community, which has long-standing traditional ties to shark-fin delicacies, Jang said. Anti-animal cruelty groups say more than 70 million sharks are killed each year through the practice of finning, which involves cutting off shark fins and tossing the sharks back into the water to die.

09/24/2012 PROPOSED MARINE PROTECTED AREA IN ANTARCTICA'S ROSS SEA

In order to advance marine protection and scientific research in one of the last great ocean wilderness areas on the planet, the United States submitted a proposal to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) on September 7 to establish a marine protected area (MPA) in the Ross Sea Region of Antarctica. The Ross Sea Region encompasses the most productive ecosystems of the Southern Ocean and supports a unique assemblage of species found nowhere else on Earth. It is home to one third of the world's Adélie penguins, one quarter of the world population of Emperor penguins, half of the Southern Pacific population of Weddell seals, and half of the world's Ross Sea killer whales. The proposed MPA would encompass roughly 1.8 million square kilometers (700,000 square miles), safeguard habitats that support essential ecosystem processes, and protect areas vital to whales, seals, penguins, commercially valuable and other fish stocks, and the species they feed upon.

09/24/2012 QUEEN'S BRIAN MAY TRIES TO STOP ENGLAND FROM KILLING BADGERS

Brian May loves animals so much that he has opened up his home as a wildlife sanctuary. Unfortunately, he can't keep all of England's creatures safe on his property, so now, the Queen guitarist is trying to save the nation's badgers by getting the public to speak out against a scheduled cull. Bagders have been spreading a disease called bovine tuberculosis amongst the resident cattle. You might for a moment think that the cull would be to protect the cows from harm for their sake. No. It's because the farmers are losing money due to their herds dying. It all comes down to cold hard cash. But the cull won't do much to protect cattle. The government is estimating that a 70% cull of badgers will lead to a 16% reduction of the spread of the disease. May isn't having it. He posed next to a new anti-cull billboard that's part of a public campaign put together by Team Badger, a coalition of animal protection groups. They have over 60,000 signatures already, and 100,000 are needed to open the topic up for debate in parliament.

09/22/2012 SHARK SAVES MAN AFTER FOUR MONTHS AT SEA

A day after watching a film about being lost at sea, Toakai Teitoi was trapped in his own nightmare, drifting in a wooden boat for 15 weeks - before a shark helped to rescue him. The 41-year-old Kiribati policeman and father-of-six relived his harrowing voyage in the central Pacific when he arrived in Majuro on the Marshall Islands fishing boat which picked him up last week. He told of sleeping with the body of his brother-in-law who died during the ordeal, suffering severe dehydration and praying to be found alive. Mr. Teitoi said he woke in the afternoon to the sound of scratching and looked overboard to see a six-foot shark circling the boat and bumping the hull. When the shark had his attention it swam off. "He was guiding me to a fishing boat. I looked up and there was the stern of a ship and I could see crew with binoculars looking at me."

09/22/2012 POWERFUL TOOL TO FIGHT WILDLIFE CRIME UNVEILED

SMART, the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool, is designed to help park and community rangers fight illegal wildlife trade by identifying poaching hotspots, improving rapid response measures and calculating the impact of anti-poaching efforts in order to maximize results. In many under-funded countries, it will enable governments to assess the most effective law enforcement options. The open-source, non-proprietary software system was developed in close collaboration with protected area authorities and other key stakeholders to improve conservation on the ground. It extends and simplifies existing technologies for monitoring efforts to tackle poaching and other illegal activities and can be translated into different languages. The consortium of conservation organizations is committed to train rangers and work with national governments to scale-up their responses to wildlife crime. Rangers will be trained on how to use SMART. Equipped with GPS devices, they will be part of a global network of support. SMART is open-source, nonproprietary and free to obtain.

09/21/2012 RELIGIOUS IVORY DEMAND KILLING ELEPHANTS BY THOUSANDS

Elephants are being illegally killed across Africa at the highest rates in a decade, and the global religious market for ivory is a driving force. "Blood Ivory," the cover story in the October issue of National Geographic, offers the first in-depth investigation of this untold story. While it's impossible to say exactly how many elephants are slaughtered annually, a conservative estimate for 2011 is more than 25,000. And thousands of those are dying to satisfy religious devotion, their tusks smuggled into countries to be carved into religious artifacts: ivory baby Jesuses and saints for Catholics in the Philippines, Islamic prayer beads for Muslims and Coptic crosses for Christians in Egypt, amulets and carvings for Buddhists in Thailand, and in China - the world's biggest ivory-consumer country - elaborate Buddhist and Taoist carvings for investors.

09/21/2012 FRAN DRESCHER FEELS GREAT AS GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN

Actress and activist Fran Drescher has been interested in health for quite some time. As a uterine cancer survivor and the mind behind Cancer Shmancer, Drescher is quite focused on preventative care and keeping our bodies free from disease. Perhaps that's why it's no shock the former "Nanny" has changed her diet. On "The Wendy Williams Show" Drescher gave up her secret for a trim figure, lots of energy and a clear complexion. She said, "It was tough going, I wasn't able to knock off that kind of weight in years. I just decided that I wasn't feeling well... and I went to a bunch of doctors, and everybody had different prescriptions for all my symptoms and I just decided, 'No more, I'm gonna do alternative. I'm gonna to switch up my act, eat differently, clean up my act. And so I cut out alcohol... so that went, and I became gluten-free and vegan."

09/20/2012 SCOTTISH WILDCATS "ONLY MONTHS AWAY" FROM EXTINCTION

Th Scottish Wildcat, the only surviving member of the cat family native to Britain, is on the verge of extinction - with conservationists estimating that the species could be lost forever within "only a few months." Resembling a very muscular domestic tabby, wildcats are roughly 50% larger than domestic cats and famous for their ferocious nature and sprints of up to 30MPH. It is also infamously known as the only wild animal that can never be tamed by human hand, even when captive reared from kittens. The Scottish Wildcat Association released their latest extinction warning after studying 2,000 records of camera trap sightings, eyewitness reports and road kills. Their conclusion? At best, perhaps only 35 pure-bred individuals remain. This estimate is much worse than a report released last month by the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) that concluded 150 breeding pairs left in the wild. 

09/20/2012 BOB BARKER AND PETA CALL FOR PROTECTION OF ANIMALS ON SETS

Bob Barker and "The Simpsons" co-creator Sam Simon are teaming up with PETA to change the way animals are treated on film and television sets. The organization American Humane is in charge of ensuring the safety of animals used in entertainment. However, PETA is claiming that the organization is neglecting its duties and giving its seal of approval on films where animals were put in danger, injured, or even killed. PETA cites "The Hobbit," "Boardwalk Empire," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and many others as examples of inadequate oversight by the organization. Barker and Simon held a press conference to ask American Humane to put animals first and make their safety the top priority.

09/19/2012 COUPLE GIVES UP DREAM WEDDING TO SAVE THEIR DOG

Melanie Cannon and Eddie Hanna had to postpone their wedding the first time when Melanie's grandmother passed away a week before their wedding day. They lost all their funds since the cancellation was so last minute. The couple rebounded and worked hard to save up enough cash - for the second time - to throw their dream wedding. That's when they found out that their rescue pit bull mix, Koda, had a liver shunt and needed medical attention. Even their pet insurance wouldn't cover the costs, so the couple did what they thought any kind and generous person would do. They took the funds they had saved for their wedding and used them to save Koda's life. The Halifax Humane Society, the shelter they adopted Koda from, heard about the wedding, now postponed for the second time, and they decided to help. The shelter approached local vendors with the couple's story and soon had donations for catering, a facility, flowers and more. According to reports, Melanie and Eddie got hitched on September 8th thanks to the kindness of strangers. Koda is expected to make a full recovery.

09/18/2012 FORMER GREAT BRITISH CIRCUS ELEPHANTS ESCAPE TRAINER IN COPENGAHEN

Two elephants that Animal Defenders International (ADI) caught on film being abused whilst at the Great British Circus, and now with Circus Benneweis, escaped their trainer in rush-hour traffic in Copenhagen. They were returned to the circus site with the assistance of a police road block. Just months ago an elephant escaped from a circus in Ireland, with both incidents highlighting how inappropriate it is to keep wild animals such as these in travelling circuses. The two elephants - Sonja and Vana Mana (and a third elephant Delhi) - were at the centre of a shocking ADI undercover investigation in 2009 that led to a public consultation with a resounding 97% supporting a ban on wild animal acts and the then Labour Government promising a ban. The UK Government announced a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses in March, but continues to pursue a system of licensing, at a cost of a quarter of a million pounds.

09/18/2012 NEW ZEALAND GRANTS RIGHTS OF PERSONHOOD TO WHANGANUI RIVER

New Zealand made history by giving the rights of a person to the Whanganui River. Under the preliminary agreement, that means the river will be considered a legal entity and have a legal voice. While the river can't exactly celebrate the win, the Whanganui River iwi, an indigenous community who fought for the rights of the river and who will now have a legal say on its behalf, are ecstatic. The Whanganui will have the iwi and government officials serve legal custodians who will speak up for its best interests.

09/17/2012 WE'VE OFFICIALLY WIPED OUT THE JAPANESE RIVER OTTER

Japan's Ministry of the Environment officially declared the Japanese River Otter extinct – more than 30 years after one was last spotted in the wild. The JR-otter was once found throughout Japan, but was hunted for its fur and suffered massive population decimation due to pollution and habitat destruction. The Ministry of the Environment also declared as extinct a subspecies of the least horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus pumilus miyakonis), which was last seen in 1971. The Japanese subspecies of the Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) was declared extinct on the island of Kyushu, where it has not been seen since 1957 (it persists elsewhere in Japan). One bird species, one insect species, one shellfish species and two plant species were also listed as extinct.

09/16/2012 INDIA RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL HIGH-FIVE FOR TIGER CONSERVATION EFFORTS

For the last several years, thanks to groups like the World Wildlife Fund and celebs like Leonardo DiCaprio and Richard Branson, awareness on the plight of tigers and the efforts needed to save them has grown immensely. Some of those concerted actions are paying off – in particular for Nepal where the tiger population has nearly doubled since 2009. Recently, India received a pat on the back by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) for its "unprecedented commitment" to save the endangered tiger. "India took responsibility for the tiger when it announced Project Tiger in 1972. By doing so it sent a clear message that the fate of the wild tiger was in its hands and India alone would be held accountable for their future," the society said at the World Conservation Congressin Jeju, Korea. A nationwide census carried out in 2011 estimated a total of 1,706 tigers up from 1,411 from the previous count in 2007.

09/15/2012 USHER GOES VEGAN, WANTS BIEBER TO DO THE SAME

Hip hop star Usher has gone vegan, and loves what it’s doing to improve his already enviable abs. Usher has apparently focused more on healthy living since his father died of a heart attack in 2008. A source told Radar Online, "Usher frequents a few vegan restaurants in New York City and not only loves the food, but feels like it's the healthiest way to live." Apparently, the singer is so close with Justin Bieber that he's trying to get the teen sensation to enhance his diet as well to keep him energetic while on tour: "He's desperate to get Bieber on the same health kick he is and thinks with all the touring and busy schedule he has, it would keep him energized."

09/14/2012 LADY GAGA'S FOX HEAD FUR SCARF DRAWS PETA'S FIRE

The 26-year-old pop star Lady Gaga has taken her fashion style in a sharp turn towards animal cruelty, despite earlier assertions that she’s against the fur industry. Unfortunately, it appears that the controversial singer is turning towards the very industry she once shunned in an effort to continue to garner attention. Her latest ensemble included a fox fur scarf still attached to the head of its original owner. PETA, who has made Gaga a new featured target in their anti-fur campaigns was quick to pounce. "The outfit really speaks for itself. PETA is considering passing the hat so that someone can buy her a heart," PETA spokesperson Wendy Wegner told RadarOnline.com, who said the fur appears to be from an Arctic White Fox, which is often electrocuted for its fur.

09/13/2012 IAN SOMERHALDER DESPERATE FOR HELP TO SAVE SANCTUARY LAND

The plot of land Ian Somerhalder wants to buy and use for his animal sanctuary/sustainable farm has been threatened. The 195 acres that Somerhalder wants to use is, right now, destined to become a transfer station and business park. He's asking the twitterverse for help to save the pristine property from becoming a concrete eyesore. This land holds special meaning for the star. It's near where he grew up and learned to love nature. The man who is expected to buy the property, Chris Jean, is open to talking about other options. His lawyer said that as a businessman Jean would listen to whatever Somerhalder has to say. Earlier this year Somerhalder had the opportunity to buy the land when Jean's option had expired. Unfortunately, while lots of money was raised for the sanctuary, it wasn't enough to make the buy.

09/12/2012 POLAR BEARS DYING IN ZOO FROM VIRUS THAT JUMPED FROM ZEBRAS

Zoos bring together different animal species that would never encounter each other in the wild. On occasion, this can have unforeseen consequences. When in 2010 at the Wuppertal Zoo one polar bear died and another fell severely ill, zoo veterinarians were at a loss as to the cause of the symptoms. It has now been shown that the bears were infected with a recombinant zebra-derived virus that had jumped into other species, as reported August 16 by an international team of researchers led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in the journal Current Biology.

09/12/2012 HARVARD CITED IN LAB DEATHS OF 41 MICE

The US Department of Agriculture has cited Harvard University for the death of 41 mice in a research laboratory earlier this year. Eleven adult and 30 young rodents became dehydrated in April after a connection in a system that supplies drinking water became loose. The official warning is considered an enforcement ­action signaling a violation of the US Animal Welfare Act, but does not carry a fine or other penalty. Animal research at Harvard has been under scrutiny in recent months. Four monkeys have died since 2010, and others were injured at the New England Primate Research Center, a Harvard Medical School facility in Southborough, prompting the school to suspend new research and make significant procedural changes in the care of the animals.

09/11/2012 FORMERLY BLIND ORANGUTAN SEES FOR THE FIRST TIME

The Washington Post reports that a formerly blind Sumatran orangutan had her sight restored with cataract surgery. The 40-year-old orangutan, whose name is Gober, was captured in 2008 in Indonesia after conservationists noted that she had gone blind from cataracts. In 2011, she gave birth to twins at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation as part of its breeding program to increase her species' dwindling numbers. According to the Post, cataract surgery on an orangutan has never been performed before in Indonesia, but the doctors at the provincial capital of Medan reported that Gober's operation was a successful one. The paper also reports that only one other orangutan has undergone cataract surgery, which was successfully performed in Malaysia in 2007.

09/11/2012 FORMER JAPANESE HUNTER TURNED DOLPHIN ADVOCATE

In the saga of dolphins versus hunters in Japan, one fisherman in Japan has managed to turn the story around. Izumi Ishii, a former dolphin hunter in the city of Futo, spent years capturing and slaughtering dolphins. The living cetaceans were handpicked and delivered to marine parks for entertainment acts, while others were killed for their meat. But after one key moment with a dolphin, Ishii had a change of heart and quit the practice several years ago. Ishii now operates a dolphin-watching business, which he began in 2002. He uses the same boat that he did for hunting, but instead takes tourists out to the Futo coastline to watch dolphins and whales. Ishii's transformation is certainly a unique one. As a third-generation dolphin hunter, he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. But after issues with other Futo fishermen over an illegal whale catch, he began to sympathize with the dolphins.

09/10/2012 GULLS TO BE SHOT TO PROTECT WHALES IN ARGENTINA

According to Yahoo! News, an increased population of seagulls has led to increased attacks by the birds on southern right whales in Argentina's waters. The gulls are swooping down to bite and claw the whales as they surface in order to get pieces of their blubber and skin. There is also concern that the bird's behaviors are limiting the whale-watching industry in the area, as the whales becoming increasingly afraid to breach the water completely. Whale-watching brings in a lot of tourist money, as the right whales come to these waters to give birth each year. Marcelo Bertellotti of the National Patagonia Center, a conservation agency funded by the government, says the answer is to shoot and kill the birds, then remove their bodies and the ammunition from the ocean. Environmentalists argue that the seagull population has dramatically increased because of human actions, mostly because of excessive amounts of open-air garbage and fish parts discarded by fisherman.

09/10/2012 ARCTIC SEA ICE HIT THE RECORD LOW

The Arctic Oceans vast, frozen expanse of ice is rapidly vanishing. Scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center announced that the extent of sea ice in the Arctic had reached its lowest level since satellite measurements began, breaking the previous record in 2007. It's clear that Arctic sea ice is now shriveling more quickly each year. And scientists say the melt has been driven by both global warming and other pollutants that humans have put into the atmosphere. So why does the disappearing sea ice actually matter? Partly it's a sign of how quickly we're heating the planet. Yet the vanishing sea ice can also have its own side effects, from warming up the Arctic further to unlocking once-frozen areas of the north for oil and gas exploration. 

09/06/2012 LEONARDO DICAPRIO, TOBEY MAGUIRE AND TOM HARDY TO PRODUCE ANIMAL POACHING MOVIE

Three Hollywood A-listers with a shared passion for the environment and animal rights have united for a new drama set against the ground war on poachers in the African savanna. Tom Hardy reportedly came up with an idea for the movie after being inspired by former Special Forces operative, who are now anti-poaching fighters in South Africa and other countries. The 34-year-old shared the idea with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire; with all three later agreeing to throw the project into development - most likely under Leo's Appian Way production company. The movie will follow all sorts of poaching elements - from the ground war on poachers in Africa to how animal material ends up in the fashion houses of Paris.

09/06/2012 MERCURY POISONING FROM DOLPHIN MEAT REMAINS A MAJOR CONCERN FOR "COVE" ACTIVISTS

A study in 2010, conducted by the National Institute for Minamata Disease, found that Taiji residents had far higher average levels of methyl mercury in their hair than people in other areas of Japan - though follow-up tests indicated no ill effects. Activists from the Dolphin Project believe there were problems in the study though, and take issue with the findings. Of the 3,500 residents in the town, 1,137 residents participated in the study, according to the Associated Press. Dolphins, which live longer than other sea life and are at the top of the marine food chain, absorb more mercury than other commonly eaten fish, such as tuna or tilapia. Exposure to these higher levels of mercury may be dangerous for peopled.

09/05/2012 CLIMATE CHANGE COULD INCREASE LEVELS OF AVIAN INFLUENZA IN WILD BIRDS

Rising sea levels, melting glaciers, more intense rainstorms and more frequent heat waves are among the planetary woes that may come to mind when climate change is mentioned. Now, two University of Michigan researchers say an increased risk of avian influenza transmission in wild birds can be added to the list. 

09/05/2012 ALMOST 900 STAR TORTOISES SEIZED IN THAILAND

A suitcase filled with a whopping 890 Indian Star Tortoises has been seized, and an Indian national arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International airport. Acting on a tip off, Tourist Police and Royal Thai Customs officers stopped the 26-year-old man who attempted to smuggle the tortoises into the country on a Thai Airways flight from Calcutta to Bangkok, on Monday August 27. The tortoises, all juveniles, were found stuffed into six pillow cases and hidden inside the suspect's suitcase. A statement has been taken from the suspect, a resident of Chennai in South India, who is expected to face charges under Thailand's Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act, Customs Act and the Animals Epidemics Act. The Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans is highly prized as an exotic pet and remains a target for collection and trade despite being afforded legal protection across the species range countries of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. All three countries have banned the species's international commercial export under national legislation, making all shipments from these countries illegal anywhere in the world. 

09/04/2012 PAUL MCCARTNEY SECURES ABUSED ANIMAL'S FREEDOM

Sunder, a young elephant in India has been abused and kept in a dark shed for years. In addition to being forced to wear spiked chains, the elephant has a severe eye injury, skin lesions from abuse and is kept in a small shed where he cannot even turn around. His story attracted worldwide attention when Sir Paul McCartney wrote an impassioned letter on his behalf, asking the Indian Forest Minister to set the animal free. After news of McCartney's letter spread, people around the globe spoke out in support of Sunder's freedom. Petitions popped up on sites like Care2.com, and other celebs, including Pamela Anderson, joined the fight. So it comes as wonderful news that McCartney's plea was successful. Plans are in the works to move Sunder from his painful temple shed to a wildlife refuge, where he will hopefully live out his days in freedom and sunshine. PETA India had been working hard to secure Sunder's release and are delighted that McCartney's letter had the desired impact.

09/04/2012 WALMART PORK IS CRUELTY ON A FORK

Hollywood stars are squealing mad over Walmart's treatment of pigs after MFA's undercover investigation exposed rampant cruelty to animals at a factory farm supplying pork to the retail giant. In a letter fired off today to Walmart's CEO Mike Duke, on behalf of Mercy For Animals, Ryan Gosling, Kristen Bell, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Deschanel, Tom Morello, Kim Basinger, David Boreanaz, Ed Begley Jr., John Francis Daley, James Cromwell, Steve-O, and Loretta Swit wrote: "We implore you to help end the needless suffering of these animals by ending the sale of pork from producers who confine pigs in cages so small they can't even turn around for nearly their entire lives." The appeal comes after hidden-camera video, shot at a Christensen Farms facility in Minnesota by an investigator with Mercy For Animals, revealed unconscionable cruelty.

09/03/2012 GIRAFFES GRIEVE: SCIENCE CATCHES UP TO COMMON SENSE

How many incidences do we have to record for science to acknowledge that many different species grieve? Now, after a giraffe stands guard beside her dead loved one for four days and another giraffe spends hours with her stillborn, zoologists seem ready to add them to the list. Mourning behaviors have also been found in other social animals such as elephants, mountain gorillas and monkeys. While it may be inconvenient to ascribe grieving behavior to animals (because we would have to change the way we view and treat them), their behaviors show time and again that they conceptualize death and feel our same aching emotions.

09/03/2012 BOSTON'S PITT BULL ORDINANCE OVERRIDEN BY STATE

Earlier in August, Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law a bill that amends the Animal Control Act. The new bill covers multiple animal issues, but it also strikes down any breed-specific legislation that cities or towns may have in place. Section 31 of the bill states: "No order shall be issued directing that a dog deemed dangerous be removed from the town or city in which the owner of such dog resides. No city or town shall regulate dogs in a manner that is specific to breed." That would nullify Boston's Ordinance Regarding Responsible Pit Bull Ownership, which has been in effect since 2004. "The state house wiped us out," City Councillor Rob Consalvo told us. Consalvo authored the original ordinance and joined Radio Boston to talk about how invalidating the city ordinance will rob enforcement of a tool he says helps ensure public safety. Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, disagreed. The MSPCA says breed-specific laws are not effective and there are other alternatives that foster responsible dog ownership.

09/01/2012 RHINO DEATHS PREDICTED TO HIT RECORD HIGHS

Wildlife monitoring network, TRAFFIC, has predicted that by the end of this year over 500 rhinos will have fallen victim to poaching. Despite the increased security measures taken by countries like South Africa, poachers are still one step ahead. The demand for rhino horn is increasing and is used for everything from supposedly curing cancer to a recreational drug rumored to cure hangovers.

09/01/2012 ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND AND PETA AGAINST SEAQUARIUM

Animal activists including the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), PETA, the Orca Network, and private citizens filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) challenging the decision to renew Miami Seaquarium's federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) license. ALDF and PETA currently have another lawsuit pending against the National Marine Fisheries Service for excluding the last orca remaining at the marine park, Lolita, from the endangered list of Pacific Northwest's Southern Resident orcas.

The number of news found: 40.

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