Joaquin Phoenix, The Travel Corporation (TTC), Rep. Steve King, Blackbirds, Grizzlies, Wildlife Services, Wolves in NC & WY, Monkey Dressed Like a Little Girl, Slaughter of 100,000 Horses/Burros, Foxes Bred for Fur, Puppy Mills, Mashuk-KMV and FC Aungusht & much more!

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Rising Phoenix
Actor and animal rights activist Joaquin Phoenix recently shared why he went vegan more than 40 years ago. Want to learn more about his activism with Mercy For Animals? Click here.

We've partnered with The Travel Corporation to protect animals in tourism. The Travel Corporation (TTC) and its family of 30 global brands has committed to working with us to improve the lives of animals through profitable and sustainable solutions. As part of its continuing sustainability journey, The Travel Corporation’s family of brands, including Contiki and Trafalgar, have partnered with us to help ensure their policies and itineraries improve the lives of animals everywhere they travel.

We've worked with TTC to reshape the experiences the company offers to be more animal-friendly and support the phase-out of cruel activities, including bullfights, captive whale and dolphin attractions and, most significantly, removing elephant rides and shows from their trips visiting Thailand.
An asian elephant is used to take tourists for rides.

“At TTC and our not-for-profit The TreadRight Foundation, we recognize the immense potential the travel industry has to change the world for the better and we can do that with the valuable guidance of leading organizations like World Animal Protection,” says Brett Tollman, Chief Executive, The Travel Corporation and Founder, The TreadRight Foundation.  

Moving an industry
This past September in Bangkok, we brought together TTC and other leading global travel companies including TUI Group and EXO Travel to meet with representatives of elephant riding camps across Thailand to demonstrate a shift in consumer demand for elephant-friendly tourism, encouraging them to phase out rides and shows and transition to elephant-friendly venues.

“We are proud to have partnered with World Animal Protection to work towards ensuring that the travel industry comes together as a community to protect wildlife and help show that animal-friendly venues can be profitable for local communities in the long term. We appreciate that this is an important animal welfare issue that is bigger than any single organization,” continues Tollman.
A venue in Thailand where elephants are kept in captivity and used to entertain tourists.

Many tourists from around the globe visit Thailand to see elephants but increasingly, these travelers are beginning to understand the lifetime of psychological and physical trauma elephant rides and shows cause.

A 2017 survey shows a significant drop of 9% to 44% in the number of people who find elephant riding acceptable compared to just three years ago.

The research shows that more than 80% of tourists would prefer to see elephants in their natural environment.

People want change
“Attitudes are changing as travelers are learning more about the fear, pain and suffering elephants undergo to make rides and shows possible”, says Steve McIvor, our CEO.

Travelers are increasingly demanding options that better align with their values. With the help of global travel partners like TTC, we can prove that elephant-friendly attractions, those without forced and dangerous interactions with wildlife, make both ethical and financial sense for local venues. The direction of sustainable tourism is clear.” 
Three female elephants enter their new nighttime enclosure on Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) in Sukhothai, Thailand.

TTC and more than 180 other global travel companies have agreed to no longer offer visits to venues with elephant rides and shows in any of their markets.

Also, in 2016, TripAdvisor announced that they will stop selling tickets to experiences where tourists have direct physical contact with captive wild animals or endangered species.

We look forward to working with The Travel Corporation and building our movement to end animal suffering in the tourism industry. 

Join the movement to protect animals from cruel entertainment attractions around the world by signing our Wildlife, Not entertainers. Petition. 

The research shows that more than 80% of tourists would prefer to see elephants in their natural environment.

Further reading: Rescued 'dancing' bear tragically dies...Animals in entertainment

Using captive animals for entertainment isn't just cruel — it's dangerous. Tell FIFA to keep captive animals away from the World Cup!
In a recent soccer match between Russian teams Mashuk-KMV and FC Aungusht, officials pulled an unorthodox stunt. To entertain the crowd, they dragged a captive bear out onto the field and forced it to clap its hands. This type of animal exploitation is cruel and unnecessary — and most importantly, it's dangerous to everyone in attendance.

Although nothing has been confirmed by FIFA, many are speculating that the World Cup this upcoming June may try a similar stunt. We need to be proactive and show FIFA we won't stand for animal cruelty at the World Cup. 

Animals that are used as entertainment are usually "trained" at a young age. This often involves being taken away from their natural environments and from their mothers almost instantly, being defanged and declawed, and then being taught — via fear and intimidation — to do the trainer's bidding. Combine this cruel upbringing and the fact that you're placing wild animals into a stressful and unfamiliar environment, and you've got a recipe for disaster. 

Animals belong in their natural habitats — not paraded around in stadiums. Sign the petition and tell FIFA to commit to an animal-cruelty-free World Cup!  

Broken bones. Rotten teeth. Infected sores. Overcrowded and unsanitary facilities.
Stop Puppy Mills
The conditions that dogs in puppy mills endure are unimaginable — and it’s all for the sake of profit.

The only way to shut this industry down is to target both the puppy mills that mistreat the dogs and the retailers they do business with.

Your help to the Animal Legal Defense Fund will help us continue our strategic work to make puppy mills a thing of the past. 

The puppy mill industry is just one of many that sees animals as commodities to be bought and sold — instead of living beings with inherent value. Victories against puppy mills in court can protect dogs while also setting legal precedents that can benefit all animals. We’re working to create a world where all animals have the legal protections they deserve — but we need your support to get there.
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Goats Thrown, Cut, Killed for Mohair—Help Them Now!
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) 
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Goats Mutilated and Their Throats Slashed
peta2TV  
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WTF: Foxes Bred to Be Obese for Greedy Fur Industry
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) 

North Carolina's Red Wolves Could Disappear in 8 Years & 
Dire news for one of America's most endangered mammals: A just-released federal report says there are only 40 wild red wolves left in North Carolina — and their population could go extinct in eight years.

The Center for Biological Diversity has been fighting to save these wolves, including by pushing the feds to continue their crucial recovery program and work harder to halt shooting and poisoning.

We're glad the report says red wolves must retain Endangered Species Act protections and need more help to survive.

"Time's running out," said the Center's Collette Adkins. "We need to move fast if we're going to keep red wolves from vanishing forever. First we need immediate measures to stop people from killing them."

Read more in The Washington Post and stay tuned for how you can help.
Wolves howling
Wyoming is becoming a killing field for wildlife. First, state officials announced plans to kill 24 grizzlies around Yellowstone National Park.
Now they want to allow trophy hunters to gun down 58 wolves in the state this year — a record number. Wyoming also wants to double the number of wolves that any trophy hunter can kill.
Trophy hunting of wolves shatters families, orphans pups and will leave Wyoming's wolf population reeling. Adding insult to injury, state officials want wolf trophy hunters to have greater "flexibility" — so this fall they'll be able to gun down two wolves instead of just one.
Like the grizzlies who roam in and out of Yellowstone, wolves who wander outside park boundaries will become targets.
This sick attitude toward wildlife is emblematic of what we see from trophy hunters everywhere, wiping out animals just to hang heads on a wall or use fur for rugs.
The killing comes at a steep price. Wolves today live in less than 10 percent of their historic habitat in the lower 48 states. They've only started to recover and can't afford the kind of mass slaughter that Wyoming is pushing.
Your help to on the Predator Defense Fund will give us vital resources to fight for grizzlies, wolves and other victims of trophy hunting. Wildlife belong in the wild, not hanging over a fireplace or decorating a living-room floor. 

River otter
Wildlife Services Killed 1.3 Million Native Animals in 2017
The arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture known as Wildlife Services killed more than 1.3 million native animals last year, the agency has revealed.

These notoriously underreported numbers include more than 600,000 red-winged blackbirds, 69,041 adult coyotes, 23,646 beavers, 3,827 foxes, 1,001 bobcats, 675 river otters, 552 black bears, 357 gray wolves and 319 mountain lions.

The multimillion-dollar federal wildlife-killing program targets wolves, coyotes, cougars, birds and other wild animals for destruction — primarily at the whim of the agriculture industry.

Please donate to help us stop the slaughter.

California Protects Tricolored Blackbirds


Tricolored blackbird

Tricolored blackbirds just won a reprieve: California's Fish and Game Commission has voted to protect these uniquely feathered birds as a threatened species under the state's Endangered Species Act. This decision comes 14 years after the Center first petitioned to protect the blackbirds, whose population has plummeted by nearly 90 percent since the 1930s.

Tricoloreds face threats from loss of nesting habitat, pesticides and climate change. "I'm thrilled they'll finally get protection," said Center Senior Attorney Lisa Belenky.

Read more in our press release.


Shasta Salamanders Are Really 3 Species Needing Protection


Shasta salamander

A paper just out from scientists at U.C. Berkeley shows that California's Shasta salamanders, which the Center petitioned to protect in 2012, are three species rather than one — each rarer in their small, single-county range than previously believed. Threats to their existence include plans to raise the level of Shasta Dam, limestone quarrying, timber harvesting and roads.

"This study shows Shasta County salamanders desperately need federal protection," said the Center's Jenny Loda. "The Fish and Wildlife Service has to protect them as fast as humanly possible." Read more.
In Defense of Animals
Urgent: Protect Grizzlies from Trophy Hunters! Wyoming and Idaho are considering opening up hunting seasons on grizzly bears as early as this coming fall. Grizzly bears were only delisted as an endangered species less than a year ago. Without protection under the Endangered Species Act, individual states can now decide whether to allow bear hunts. It's clear that Wyoming and Idaho are committed to preventing the long-term recovery of grizzlies. We must stop this hunting bloodbath and protect these indigenous animals! TAKE ACTION

In Defense of Animals
Rep. Steve King Is the Devil & We Must Stop Him. Rep. Steve King of Iowa is on a mission to destroy practically every piece of legislation that protects animals passed on the state level, but in one fell federal swoop. Hard-won legislation to protect animals suffering in puppy mills, on fur farms, in dog fighting rings, and on factory farms will be annihilated. Suffering animals will be hit hard and we must act now! TAKE ACTION
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Speeding Up Slaughter
A disturbing new proposed rule by the USDA would allow recklessly unsafe slaughter-line speeds for select facilities. Want to help ensure this doesn’t happen? Take action.
Songs for Freedom CD (Album for Animal & Wildlife Rights, Welfare and against all cruelty towards wildlife and animals)