Tony the Tiger Euthanized, California Bans Sale of Animals From Puppy Mills, Chicken and duck in plastic bag, Oswald’s Bear Ranch, Animal Cruelty, Animal Crimes, Animal Welfare, League Against Cruel Sports
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California Becomes the First State to Ban the Sale of Animals From Puppy Mills.
Animal lovers across the nation, particularly in California, are rejoicing with the news that California Governor Jerry Brown signed the legislation that would ban pet stores from selling animals from “puppy mills” and other irresponsible breeders. Instead, pet shops will be required to partner with animal shelters, rescues, or adoption centers.
This new law, which will take effect January 1, 2019, will not only protect dogs from deplorable conditions at breeding facilities but cats and rabbits as well. Those in violation of the law will face a fine of $500.
Supported by animal welfare groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the new law is hoped to not only stop animal neglect and cruelty at puppy mills but also help stop the epidemic of euthanasia in animal shelters, where HSUS estimates 1.5 million animals are killed annually across the nation. Puppy mills provide pet shops with 99 percent of dogs sold, so this groundbreaking law will certainly save countless lives and cut back significantly on animal cruelty. From a financial standpoint, California taxpayers provide $250 million to animal shelters a year, and this new law should help curb this amount.
There are already 36 cities in California, including San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles, and several cities in other states, like Phoenix and Chicago, that have already banned the sale of animals from puppy mills, but this is the first statewide legislation approved. The law will not affect the sale of animals from private breeders who do not participate in the mass commercial sale of animals.
According to Matt Bershadker, the president of ASPCA, animals from puppy mills “generally live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions” and “without adequate veterinary care, food, water or socialization…While awareness of the puppy mill problem is growing, humane regulation at the state and federal level has been slower to evolve.” We hope the rest of the nation follows California’s lead and takes a stance against animal cruelty and irresponsible breeding.
There are still some people who are unaware of the problems with puppy mills, so please share this with your network!
Bears Used as Photo Props at Roadside Zoo Are In Major Distress – Let’s Help Get Them to a Sanctuary!
Animal advocates are fully aware that each and every animal is an individual with a distinct personality and particular requirements to successfully thrive. Animals, wild or domestic, are not ours for use as entertainment to turn a profit, yet too many people exploit animals as such, including Oswald’s Bear Ranch, a roadside zoo in Newberry, Michigan.
Oswald’s Bear Ranch allows people to take photos with bears for a fee, but this is not a natural activity for bears, so handlers use force to make them submit to orders. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate Oswald’s Bear Ranch, which was already cited for using physical abuse to handle an animal in 2010 when a USDA inspector witnessed a handler at the zoo violently striking a bear cub twice during a photo op.
Additionally, three bear cub sisters, named Sassy, Sophie, and Ashley, are living in extreme psychological distress in a concrete cage with no access to the natural elements. Video footage captured by PETA shows these beautiful bears exhibiting symptoms of severe zoochosis, including compulsively pacing back and forth and in circles in their cramped enclosure, chewing on the cage, and making desperate attempts to escape their prison. You can view the footage of this here.
Although the serious issue of animals used for entertainment has made its way to a widespread public spotlight, particularly with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circuses shutting down earlier this year, other circuses and roadside zoos are still plentiful.
Without government intervention, the only way these corrupt businesses will be shut down and the animals sent to sanctuaries is if people stop visiting and supporting them, so PLEASE share this with your network as a reminder why people should never visit roadside zoos or attractions that allow direct contact or photos with animals!
Tony the Truck Stop Tiger Has Been Euthanized – How We Can Make Sure This Never Happens Again.
It is a sad day in animal advocacy, as Tony the truck stop tiger was euthanized this past Monday night, October 16th, after supposedly suffering from kidney failure. Tony spent all but the first six months of his seventeen years of life kept in a cage at a noisy, smog-filled truck stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) had been fighting a seven-year-long battle to free Tony, and they are disheartened that their persistent efforts did not result in Tony living out the remainder of his life at a sanctuary. ADLF Executive Director Stephen Wells had this to say about Tony’s death: “Despite our best efforts, he lived and died caged at a truck stop that could never provide the life he deserved…Tony’s tragic death demonstrates how our legal system leaves wildlife, including members of endangered species like Tony, extremely vulnerable to exploitation by incompetent or uncaring individuals.”
The private ownership of wild cats is an incredibly serious issue that often leads to the abandonment, inadequate care, and mistreatment of these animals, who are typically purchased for use as status symbols or as a golden goose for roadside zoos that turn a profit by allowing tourists to handle and take photos with these animals. The private ownership of wild cats is such a serious issue, that there are more tigers in U.S. backyards today than there are in the wild, and this needs to end now.
If there is anything to be learned from the tragic story of Tony, it is that wild animals belong in the wild and are not domestic creatures. Without financial contributions from visiting patrons, roadside zoos will have no choice but to shut down. As we have seen with the case of Tony, the government often does not intervene with these businesses that make animals suffer, even when violations of the law are cited, so the single best way the general public can help these wild animals is by never visiting these zoos and roadside attractions.
Many people are unaware of the problems of the private ownership of wild cats, so PLEASE share this with your network as a wake-up call to protect other animals from a fate similar to Tony’s!
