International Animal Welfare Summit 2018, PetSmart, Tiger at Prom, Petco, Bijou's Law, Macy's, Florida Toughens Animal Cruelty Laws, Kitten Squad, Bio Corporation, Death by Drowning, Endangered Species Protection, US Cattlemen’s Association, Wyoming wants to gun down 58 wolves, Dairy Industry, The Croydon Cat Killer, Sheriff Deputy Shoots Groundhog, Woodside Pig Scramble,Anthropologie and Express!

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International Animal Welfare Summit 2018 | 24 April 2018
FOUR PAWS International
Not long after corgis Abby and Harley were dropped off for routine grooming at a PetSmart store in Toms River in late March, their guardian received a call informing him that Abby had died and he could come pick up "the carcass."

An 8-year-old corgi named Abby recently died after she was taken to a Toms River PetSmart store for grooming. Just a few months before her death, a bulldog named Scruffles died during a grooming session at a PetSmart store in Flemington. Only one week prior to that, a shih tzu named George was severely injured during a grooming appointment at the same store. Veterinarians later diagnosed him with a back injury and prescribed heavy steroids and 10 days of cage confinement. Around the same time, a dog named Ranger died following his grooming appointment at the Flemington PetSmart location.

Abby is among the latest in a long list of casualties at grooming salons. Learn more about the bill that your state legislator can support in order to help prevent more tragic incidents like this one in New Jersey.
dog grooming
Big-box pet store chains like PetSmart, Petco, and others are responsible for a laundry list of incidents involving animals who've been traumatized, severely injured, and even killed in their grooming salons. 

These giant corporations deal in volume, both in the animals they sell—who come from nightmarish mass-breeding mills, where they're crammed inside crowded bins and deprived of food, water, and veterinary care and some animals are killed by being bashed against tables or crudely gassed in coolers—and in their grooming businesses, which move animals through quickly and often carelessly. A recent PETA eyewitness investigation of three PetSmart stores across the country found systemic neglect and widespread animal suffering. Based on PETA's evidence, officials in Nashville, Tennessee, executed a search and seizure warrant at one of the stores, seizing six sick and injured animals and filing cruelty-to-animals charges against three store managers.

Profit is the priority for such stores, and as a result, countless animals have strangled themselves after being left alone on grooming tables or overheated in cage dryers. Their ears have been cut by clippers, and many animals have been screamed at, roughly handled, punched, kicked, and strangled by frustrated, impatient, and cruel groomers at these chains.

In an effort to hold companies accountable and improve the care of animals entrusted to them, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle introduced A3044, which would require groomers to be licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. This proposed legislation is also called Bijou's Law, in honor of a shih tzu who died while being groomed at a PetSmart store in Paramus in 2011. The bill is scheduled to be heard by the assembly's Regulated Professions Committee. Please send an e-mail to your representative, who is a member of the committee, and urge him or her to support A3044.

Wyoming is at it again. Wyoming wants to gun down 58 wolves
Image result for Wyoming is at it again. Wyoming wants to gun down 58 wolves
Barely a year after Wyoming wolves lost Endangered Species Act protection, the state is proposing steep increases in the number of wolves allowed to be killed by hunters.

Defenders of Wildlife is going to do what it takes to stop this, but we need your help.

It was just a year ago last month that a federal court stripped Wyoming’s wolves of Endangered Species Act protection. The court upheld a state plan that declares 84% of the state a “predator zone” where wolves can be hunted or trapped by anyone, at any time. 

And wolves aren’t the only animals whose fate Wyoming is recklessly endangering. We recently wrote to you that the state is considering a proposal to allow up to 23 grizzly bears to be hunted in the greater Yellowstone region. 

Help stop these outrageous attacks on carnivores like wolves and bears. 

With your help, Defenders is on the ground in Wyoming. We’re pressing state officials to reconsider their actions. With you at our side, we’re rallying conservationists to demand adequate safeguards for wolves and grizzly bears. And thanks to you, we’re keeping the issue of wolf and bear protection front and center as an issue in Wyoming. 

Wolves and grizzly bears have no voice of their own.

You know this is a treacherous time for wildlife conservation. And it’s especially treacherous for wolves, which continue to be the victims of outdated and ignorant mindsets.

The hopeful news is that most Americans believe in wildlife protections. And sooner or later, sanity will prevail. 
Sheriff Deputy Shoots Groundhog in Front of Horrified Bystanders

When a Maryland resident stuck in traffic saw an adorable groundhog trying to cross a busy road, she decided to take a quick video from her car. 

But less than a minute later, she was horrified to see a Carroll County sheriff's deputy approach the groundhog, draw his service weapon — and shoot the defenseless animal dead. 

This was a shocking, cruel, and unnecessary act — and this deputy needs to be held accountable! Please sign to demand that the Carroll County Sheriff's Department investigate this act of animal cruelty and fire this officer for his gruesome actions. 

In most jurisdictions, police officers are only supposed to use their firearms in extreme circumstances — and only as a last resort. It's clear from this video that the groundhog was NOT a threat to the deputy or to the bystanders watching.

In an interview with HuffPost, a groundhog expert and biology professor said the groundhog seemed harmless and only wanted to cross the road. "He/she probably had a burrow on the other side. It was not attempting to go after the police officer," the professor said.

Even if the animal was sick, procedures called for the sheriff's deputy to call animal control instead of firing his service weapon on a busy road. 

This was a dangerous and senseless act and the Carroll County Sheriff's Department needs to answer for it. Sign and share the petition to call for the sheriff's deputy to be held accountable. Photo credit: Facebook Screenshot / Justyna Olkowska
Stop the Woodside Pig Scramble - The Committee for Humane Woodside - Mounted Patrol of San Mateo County

On July 4th, The Mounted Patrol of San Mateo County hosts the Northern California Junior Rodeo in Woodside. In addition to the official line-up of Junior Rodeo events, the Mounted Patrol itself stages an un-sanctioned event called the pig scramble. We are strongly opposed to how this abusive activity treats pigs.

Pigs are prey animals and they suffer from extreme distress as they are chased by dozens of screaming children who mob them, grab and tackle them by the hind legs and torso. The pigs are also treated in inhumane and potentially injurious ways by the adults involved who have been documented tossing pigs onto the ground from the transport trailer, dragging them and carrying them upside down by the legs as they move them about the arena.

Times have changed and this abusive event violates modern farm animal welfare standards and veterinary best practices for the safe, humane handling of farm animals. It also sends a message to children that it is acceptable to harass animals for entertainment. Such abuse is not acceptable and this unsanctioned event has no place in the Town of Woodside - a town that cares deeply about the welfare of its horses and all animals.

If you want to see what takes place during the Woodside Pig Scramble, watch this YouTube video.

We urge the honorable men of the Mounted Patrol to discontinue the non-sanctioned pig scramble. Please contact the following sponsors and ask them to urge the Mounted Patrol to end the scramble: R.E. Borrmann's Steel Co., Risk Strategies, Putnam Dealer Group, Dave Tanner, Inc. 

Rodeo Sponsors: Gold Sponsor
R.E. Borrmann's Steel Co. (the only sponsor who in the rodeo program says they sponsor the pig scramble.)

Silver Sponsors
Dave Tanner, Inc. (General Building and Landscaping)
Risk Strategies Company
Putnam Buick, GMC, and Chevrolet Cadillac
Paul Martin's Grill

Major Sponsors
Buck's
Larick Alan Hill Architecture, Design & Construction
Victor Aenlle
Pioneer Saloon
Firehouse Bistro
R.C. Shay & Co. inc.
Redwood General Tire
Steinbeck Country Equine Clinic
Friends of Huddart Wunderlich Parks
Kerwin & Associates Real Estate

Arena Chute Sign Sponsors
Scott Dancer- Alain Pinel
Blockhouse Real Estate
Langley Hill Quarry
Menlo Atherton Glass
O. Nelson & Son, Inc. Excavating
Find the Cat Killer of Croydon - He's Already Taken 450 Lives

The United Kingdom has been terrorized by a madman since 2014. He creeps around unsuspecting neighborhoods and kills innocent victims. To date, he has taken more than 450 lives — all of which have been cats, rabbits or even foxes. 

The Croydon Cat Killer began haunting the South London neighborhood, luring trusting cats and other pets away from their yards and then murdering them in the most disgusting ways imaginable. 

According to forensic reports, the victims are usually bludgeoned to incapacitate them, then taken to another location, dismembered and often brought back to their homes to be found by neighbors or owners.

Imagine coming home to find your beloved cat gutted and beheaded. For a pet lover, there isn't anything worse imaginable. 

But cat owners shouldn't be the only ones worried. Experts warn that the sick cat killer will only get more brazen and that it is only a matter of time till he sets his sights on taking human prey. 

Studies show that those that commit animal abuse are much more likely to resort to violence against humans. In fact, serial killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the "Son of Sam" killer David Berkowitz got their start abusing and killing animals. These people pose a threat not only to our pets and wildlife but also to society itself and they must be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

It is important we keep this case in the public eye and encourage law enforcement to continue their search for this horrific menace. 

Please sign the petition and support Scotland Yard in their search for the Croydon Cat Killer.


 

Tell Macy's: Animals in the Fur Trade Are Beaten, Gassed, or Skinned Alive. Macy's continues to sell fur from animals who spend their entire lives confined to filthy cages before being barbarically killed. Take action for minks, foxes, and other animals in the fur trade, and share the alert with friends so that they, too, can take action. Encourage everyone you know to shop elsewhere until the company stops selling fur.

A private school in Miami has allowed this year’s senior prom to feature a preposterous “attraction” … a caged tiger brought to the dance floor as part of the “Welcome to the Jungle” themed event. The incident took place at the DoubleTree Hilton Miami Airport Convention Center during a prom held by the Christopher Columbus High School, an all-boys Roman Catholic school, ABC News reports.

The wild animal pacing uncomfortably in the small cage caused outrage. “He’s nothing more than an object that people used to amuse themselves in exchange for money,” Marie-Christine Castellanos, sister of one of the students, wrote in a Facebook post.
The tiger was part of an ensemble of animals brought to the event for entertainment. Birds, a lemur, two macaws, and an African fennec fox were also featured at the event. After receiving criticism, the school claimed that the wildlife was overseen by a Florida-licensed facility. This, however, did not lessen the animals’ discomfort and stress … nor the potential threat these wild animals posed to students.
“They’re teaching these kids there’s some satisfaction through the suffering of others,” Castellanos said. “The saddest part of it all is teaching the children that there is no merit to the life of that animal – that that animal doesn’t deserve any better.”
 
Castellanos also shared that her mother did not appreciate that the $200 she had spent for prom brought this kind of attraction and that her brother, worried that the tiger was uncomfortable being put on display, was also unwilling to come forward, fearing reprisals from the school.

Wild animals are not meant to be displayed for human entertainment and the situation the tiger and the other creatures were forced into was in no way appropriate for them, nor safe for others. What is more, exploiting animals in this way showed the students that it was fine to use wildlife for such nonsensical end – which is certainly not the message a school should be getting across to young people. All image source: Mari-Cris/Facebook
Vegan Fridge
Can you spare one minute to protect your right to make compassionate food choices?

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, a beef-industry front group, is asking the government to help suppress competition by prohibiting plant-based and clean meat companies from using the words “beef” or “meat” on product labels.

That’s because these innovative food companies are changing the game—and changing the world. Since delicious plant-based alternatives to meat and other animal products are more compassionate, sustainable, and nutritious, they are now a staple at most grocery stores and restaurants. And other companies are breaking ground with technology to create “clean meat”—real meat without the suffering and death. 

A few of the biggest meat producers in the country have seen the writing on the wall and have started investing in plant-based and clean meat startups, which are helping usher in the future of food. But other meat companies are so afraid of this competition that they are asking the government to stop this progress.

The United States Department of Agriculture is now accepting public comments on the petition until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on May 17, 2018. Please click here to tell the USDA that restricting labels on plant-based foods and clean meat stifles competition, inhibits progress, and is both unnecessary and wrong.

Trump stripped Yellowstone's grizzly bears of endangered species protection, and now Idaho, following in Wyoming's footsteps, has declared open season. Idaho plans to raffle off a license so a trophy hunter can turn a grizzly into a wall mount. This hunt must be stopped.

We are in court to restore endangered species protections to Yellowstone's grizzlies. 
Grizzly bear with cub
Idaho just announced it's raffling off the life of a Yellowstone grizzly to a trophy hunter. All so a bear head can be hung on a living-room wall.

For one Yellowstone bear, that could mean hours or even days of terror and suffering. Trophy victims are often wounded and then flee with broken bones or slowly bleed out before being tracked for a kill shot.

The hunt must be stopped.

Please give a matched gift to the Center's Predator Defense Fund to support our legal battle to restore protection to Yellowstone's grizzlies. 

For the first time in 40 years in Idaho, a trophy hunter can take aim at an unsuspecting grizzly that wanders outside Yellowstone's boundaries. Idaho claims hunting is an important part of conservation. But brutally gunning down bears will never help these magnificent animals recover.

That's why the Center is standing against Idaho's hunt and mounting a fight in Wyoming, too, where state officials want to allow more than 20 Yellowstone grizzlies to be slaughtered this fall.

No animal's life should be raffled off — and yet that's exactly what is happening.

Last fall Trump stripped Yellowstone's bears of their endangered species protection — paving the way for both Wyoming and Idaho to push ahead with trophy hunts. We're in court now fighting to get that protection restored — winning our case is the only way to stop the hunt.

Everything is at stake for these beloved bears.

We won't relent in our fight to restore protection to Yellowstone grizzlies and save them from bleeding to death as they flee for their lives.
  

Victory! Anthropologie and Express Agree to Drop Cruel Mohair After Gruesome Investigation

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Animals Are Suffering in 'Lost City' of Petra
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) 
 

18 Images Big Dairy Doesn't Want You to See (but PETA Will Show You)

Share these shocking images and videos of the dairy industry on behalf of all the mother cows who are raped so that they'll produce milk and violently dehorned and whose babies are stolen from them—all for a glass of milk or a block of cheese.
 
PROTECT MOTHER COWS  
 

Birds Immersed in Water Panic, Hyperventilate, and Struggle to Stay Above Water

Research shows that it takes at least two to three minutes for drowning birds to lose consciousness and that death from cardiac arrest usually doesn't occur for five to 10 minutes. Yet a veterinarian at the University of Minnesota declared that "death by drowning would be nearly instantaneous"—a statement likely only to exacerbate suffering for birds at Bio Corporation, where workers were recorded drowning crated, fully conscious birds in water.
 
E-MAIL THE UNIVERSITY
 
 

PETA's Kitten Squad Is the First Advocacy Game on Nintendo Switch ... and It's Free!

Play as an elite kitten (or even your own family cat) with up to four other people. And if you don't have Nintendo Switch, don't worry—Kitten Squad is still available for free on Steam for Windows PC and Mac operating systems as well as on both iOS and Android devices.
 
PLAY IT NOW
 
Urgent Action Needed