Zookeeper Finally Charged With Animal Cruelty.
The Alabama shad -- a large, silvery fish that lives partly in the Gulf
of Mexico and swims up Southeast streams to spawn -- occupies just a tiny
fraction of its historic habitat in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana and
Iowa. Its numbers are dwindling because of dams, dredging and water pollution.
The shad has languished for decades without federal protection despite being
named a "candidate" for that protection back in 1997.
Luckily for the at-risk fish, the Center for Biological Diversity last week reached a settlement with the National Marine Fisheries Service that will force the agency to decide whether the shad warrants protection by this June. (In 2013 the agency declared that the species may deserve protection, but it's more than a year late in taking the next legal step toward that goal.)
"There's still time to recover this oceangoing fish in its historic Southeast habitat," said the Center's Jaclyn Lopez. "Endangered Species Act protection will help guide restoration efforts that will help the shad rebound."
Read more in our press release.
In response to outcry from the Center, Animal
Welfare Institute and other groups, New Hampshire's Game and Fish Department has
cancelled its planned bobcat hunting and trapping seasons. They would have been
the state's first such seasons since 1989, when New Hampshire protected bobcats
from the hunting and trapping that had driven their population down to only 200
animals.
Bobcats aren't the only wild felines at stake here: Canada lynx, protected as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, could be mistakenly shot or ensnared by bobcat hunters and trappers. Under the state's proposed rule to allow the hunting and trapping seasons to move forward, hunters would've been allowed to chase bobcats with hounds; trappers could've legally set unlimited numbers of indiscriminate traps.
"We're so relieved the Game and Fish Department listened to our concerns, and that New Hampshire's bobcats and lynx are safe from hunters and trappers for yet another year," said the Center's Collette Adkins.
Read more in The Keene Sentinel.
Prompted by a legal threat from the Center, the
Environmental Protection Agency has made it official: Seventeen states -- plus
Washington, D.C. -- have failed to achieve ozone air-quality standards more than
8 years after the EPA tightened rules to reduce smog threatening public health,
wildlife and ecosystems.
This federal decree triggers stricter standards for emissions and reporting in order to clean up unhealthy skies. The areas receiving a failing grade include six California counties; the greater metro areas of Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and St. Louis; the city of Sheboygan, Wis.; and the entire state of Connecticut.
"Ozone silently attacks our lungs, needlessly increasing emergency room visits and deaths for the children and elderly who are the most vulnerable to air pollution," said Jonathan Evans, environmental health legal director at the Center. "The Clean Air Act saves lives, protects wildlife and clears up smoggy skies, but only when polluters are forced to clean up their act."
Read more in our press release.
In a deeply disappointing, politically motivated
decision, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied Endangered Species Act
protection to West Coast fishers last week, reversing its proposal to protect
these shy, cat-like members of the weasel family.
The agency had proposed to protect the rare carnivores in October 2014, but under timber industry pressure withdrew that proposed protection on April 14 -- despite overwhelming scientific evidence that fishers are threatened by factors like logging and toxic chemicals used by marijuana growers throughout their range in California, Oregon and Washington. The once-abundant animals now survive in only two places, with 250 to a few thousand in southern Oregon and Northern California and about 300 in the southern Sierra Nevada.
"Just like with wolverines and coastal martens, once more we may be forced to head to court to defend species, science and the law from political interference," said Tanya Sanerib, a Center attorney. "Fishers may be tough enough to prey on porcupines, but they need Endangered Species Act protection to survive."
Read more in the Los Angeles Times.
Target: Kate MacDonald, CEO of Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA)
Goal: Applaud efforts to investigate allegedly abusive animal trainer.
The animal rights group PETA released undercover footage of the animal trainer, Michael Hackenberger, viciously beating and whipping a tiger until he defecated in fear. One can also hear Hackenberger during the video reportedly stating that he enjoys “hitting him in the face and the paws [because] it stings more.” Thanks to PETA’s footage, public outcry, the investigation done by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA), and petitions like this one on ForceChange, Hackenberger is finally being charged for his alleged abuse toward animals.
Upon the release of the video, OSPCA investigated the Bowmanville Zoo, which Hackenberger owns. The footage and the investigation was enough to charge Hackenberger with five counts of cruelty to animals. Hackenberger denies the abuse but has since stepped down as the director of the Bowmanville Zoo.
OSPCA is continuing to monitor the animals at the Bowmanville Zoo and is planning on doing another investigation soon. Sign this petition and thank OSPCA for all their hard work.
Dear Ms. MacDonald,
Your organization, OSPCA, led an investigation into the animal trainer and zoo owner Michael Hackenberger. Thanks to your investigation and the footage from PETA, Hackenberger is now charged with five counts of animal cruelty.
Hackenberger denies the abuse but has since stepped down from his position as director of the Bowmanville Zoo. This is great news for the animals there. Hopefully they will not have to withstand another second of abuse in the future.
Thank you for all the hard work you and your organization has put into making sure Hackenberger is charged for his alleged abuse.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: J. Patrick Fischer
Ortho Will Eliminate Bee-Killing Pesticides From Products.
Target: CEO of Scotts-Miracle Gro James Hagedorn
Goal: Praise garden-care giant Ortho for eliminating pesticides that pose a severe threat to bee populations.
A leading brand of insect control products, Ortho, announced recently that it will eliminate all bee-killing pesticides from its products by 2017. Environmental activists have taken note of the vanishing bee populations and have been fighting to save them, with petitions like this one published on ForceChange. Now, Ortho and its parent company, Scotts-Miracle Gro, have promised to eliminate products that are not bee-friendly, and have formed a partnership with the Pollinator Stewardship Council, one of the country’s leading advocacy organizations for bees and other pollinators.
Bees play a vital role in our agricultural system. Without bees, we wouldn’t have about 80 percent of the food sold in our super market. Nicotine-based pesticides called neonicotinoids threaten bee populations all over the world. In some places, as many as 60 percent of bee colonies have vanished. If we do not take action to save the bees, we will not be able to grow a sufficient food supply to feed the world.
Scotts-Miracle Gro has taken a huge step to protect bee populations. As an industry leader, they have set an example which other companies will hopefully follow. Sign the petition below to thank Scotts-Miracle Gro for helping to save the bees.
Dear Mr. Hagedorn,
I want to thank you for eliminating all bee-killing pesticides from Ortho products by next year, and for forming a partnership with the Pollinator Stewardship Council. Bee populations have been declining, and experts think they are under severe threat. Bees are responsible for pollinating about 80 percent of our food, and if their survival is in jeopardy, our survival is in jeopardy.
Neonicotinoid pesticides are one of the reasons that bee populations have been declining. Your decision to eliminate these pesticides from your products shows that you prioritize the health of the environment over the profits of your company. You recognize that we cannot continue to pollute our environment as we have been doing, because the consequences are real and immediate.
Thank you for taking action to save the bees. As an industry leader, you are setting a great example for other companies. I hope you will continue to make these environmentally responsible choices in the future.
Sincerely,
Your Name Here
Photo credit: Christine Majul
Imperiled Gulf Fish One Step Closer to
Protection
The Alabama shad -- a large, silvery fish that lives partly in the Gulf
of Mexico and swims up Southeast streams to spawn -- occupies just a tiny
fraction of its historic habitat in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana and
Iowa. Its numbers are dwindling because of dams, dredging and water pollution.
The shad has languished for decades without federal protection despite being
named a "candidate" for that protection back in 1997. Luckily for the at-risk fish, the Center for Biological Diversity last week reached a settlement with the National Marine Fisheries Service that will force the agency to decide whether the shad warrants protection by this June. (In 2013 the agency declared that the species may deserve protection, but it's more than a year late in taking the next legal step toward that goal.)
"There's still time to recover this oceangoing fish in its historic Southeast habitat," said the Center's Jaclyn Lopez. "Endangered Species Act protection will help guide restoration efforts that will help the shad rebound."
Read more in our press release.
Rare Cats Saved From Hunting and Trapping in New
Hampshire
In response to outcry from the Center, Animal
Welfare Institute and other groups, New Hampshire's Game and Fish Department has
cancelled its planned bobcat hunting and trapping seasons. They would have been
the state's first such seasons since 1989, when New Hampshire protected bobcats
from the hunting and trapping that had driven their population down to only 200
animals. Bobcats aren't the only wild felines at stake here: Canada lynx, protected as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, could be mistakenly shot or ensnared by bobcat hunters and trappers. Under the state's proposed rule to allow the hunting and trapping seasons to move forward, hunters would've been allowed to chase bobcats with hounds; trappers could've legally set unlimited numbers of indiscriminate traps.
"We're so relieved the Game and Fish Department listened to our concerns, and that New Hampshire's bobcats and lynx are safe from hunters and trappers for yet another year," said the Center's Collette Adkins.
Read more in The Keene Sentinel.
EPA Tightens Rules to Save Our
Skies
Prompted by a legal threat from the Center, the
Environmental Protection Agency has made it official: Seventeen states -- plus
Washington, D.C. -- have failed to achieve ozone air-quality standards more than
8 years after the EPA tightened rules to reduce smog threatening public health,
wildlife and ecosystems. This federal decree triggers stricter standards for emissions and reporting in order to clean up unhealthy skies. The areas receiving a failing grade include six California counties; the greater metro areas of Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and St. Louis; the city of Sheboygan, Wis.; and the entire state of Connecticut.
"Ozone silently attacks our lungs, needlessly increasing emergency room visits and deaths for the children and elderly who are the most vulnerable to air pollution," said Jonathan Evans, environmental health legal director at the Center. "The Clean Air Act saves lives, protects wildlife and clears up smoggy skies, but only when polluters are forced to clean up their act."
Read more in our press release.
West Coast Fisher Denied Protection in Bow to Timber
Industry
In a deeply disappointing, politically motivated
decision, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied Endangered Species Act
protection to West Coast fishers last week, reversing its proposal to protect
these shy, cat-like members of the weasel family. The agency had proposed to protect the rare carnivores in October 2014, but under timber industry pressure withdrew that proposed protection on April 14 -- despite overwhelming scientific evidence that fishers are threatened by factors like logging and toxic chemicals used by marijuana growers throughout their range in California, Oregon and Washington. The once-abundant animals now survive in only two places, with 250 to a few thousand in southern Oregon and Northern California and about 300 in the southern Sierra Nevada.
"Just like with wolverines and coastal martens, once more we may be forced to head to court to defend species, science and the law from political interference," said Tanya Sanerib, a Center attorney. "Fishers may be tough enough to prey on porcupines, but they need Endangered Species Act protection to survive."
Read more in the Los Angeles Times.
