Two (2) Animal Welfare Victories last week, Fur Farming in Europe Report, Breaking Down the Fur Industry's Wall of Secrecy, Trump sued for violating the Endangered Species Act, Kelso's Caper, Romania's working horses, In Defense of Animals, Dogs Starved Almost to Death, Big Dairy, Mad Cow Disease, African Swine Fever & Bird Flu Outbreaks!

Our Report on Fur Farming in Europe Is Out!

It is often said that "sunlight is the best disinfectant" because when people know the truth about an issue, it can prompt important change. Over the last several months, we at Born Free USA have been working hard to do just that – to shine a bright light on the secretive fur industry. We are proud to present the end result of this hard work: our latest report, Cruelty Uncaged: European Fur Farm Laws, an in-depth investigation into the fur farming laws of every European nation.

The report reveals:
✔ Only six countries have instituted full or partial bans on fur farming.
✔ Only seven countries have plans in place to phase out fur farming.
✔ Many nations lack sufficient legislative protections for furbearing animals or, indeed, animals in general.
✔ Laws and regulations are often overlooked and disregarded by fur farms.
A whopping 85 percent of fur used in the fashion industry comes from animals who live and die on fur farms. Animals in these facilities face brutal conditions. Cramped into tiny cages, they often live in filth, unable to move, express natural behaviors, or socialize as they would in the wild. And, they are often denied veterinary care, too, even when they are gravely ill or injured.

This report may focus on fur farming laws in Europe, but this is far from a solely European problem. 

There are hundreds of fur farms in operation across the United States and, with your support, we hope to publish a similar investigation into fur farming laws in the U.S. Please support this work. The fur trade thrives on secrecy, but together we can ensure that no more animals suffer in the shadows!

Please also share this message with friends and family and invite them to read the report, too!

We just sued Trump for violating the Endangered Species Act.

Instead of 
fulfilling a moral and legal duty to develop a national recovery plan for wolves, Trump and his allies in Congress want to snatch wolves' protections away.

Support our defense of wolves with a gift today to our Endangered Species Act Protection Fund.

As soon as this week, the Trump administration will announce its plan to wipe wolves off the endangered species list. A single stroke of Trump's poison pen would spell the end of 40 years of wolf recovery. We can't let that happen.

We're going on the offensive for wolves by taking Trump and Zinke to court. Their inaction is costing lives. A national recovery plan is these intelligent, social animals' best chance for a full recovery — and our best shot at keeping them out of the crosshairs.

Wolves in the lower 48 live in less than 10 percent of their historic range. Small populations are just beginning to recover in California, Oregon and Washington. There are no wolves in the southern Rockies, Dakotas and Adirondacks, even though those areas have good habitat for them.

We know what will happen if Trump's plans succeed. Wolves will be shot at will by livestock operators. They'll be gunned down by trophy hunters. Pups will be left in their dens to starve. It's unacceptable, and we're going to give everything we've got to the struggle for their survival.

We're already in court in Washington state trying to overturn its brutal wolf-killing program.

But stopping the killing in Washington is just a start. Each and every wolf killing, whether by a livestock owner, trophy hunter or state-sanctioned sniper from a helicopter, is heartbreaking.

A nationwide recovery plan is the only way to restore wolves to the habitats where they rightfully belong.

We've won this kind of fight before. We won earlier this year to restore protection to Yellowstone's grizzlies. We ended the use of M-44 cyanide traps on public lands in Idaho, Colorado and Northern California — traps that killed wolves, other wildlife and even pets indiscriminately.

Today's lawsuit is the next step in our battle to fight for the life of every last wolf.

We can win, but we need you with us. Please help to save our Endangered Species Act Protection Fund today. 

On April 21, 2014, a 2-year-old greyhound named Kelso's Caper fractured her left front leg during an evening race at a Florida track. The vet was closed, so the dog was left to suffer through the night. The next day, she was killed.
I’m overjoyed that Florida residents spoke out against this cruel industry and voted to pass Amendment 13 on Tuesday — meaning 11 of the 19 operating racetracks in the United States will be phased out by 2020.
But there’s still eight racetracks that will continue to exploit these magnificent animals — unless we do something to stop them. Hundreds of dogs have lived and died like Kelso’s Caper as part of the greyhound racing industry — it’s all too common in an industry where the well-being of the dogs is considered less important than profit.
It’s time to shut this cruel industry down.
While Tuesday’s win in Florida struck a serious blow against greyhound racing nationwide, this inhumane industry has bred, neglected, and abused countless dogs for too long.
Greyhounds spend almost all of their time in cages, being let out only to race. They run in hot and humid weather and suffer from heat exhaustion — and they run after heavy rains, colliding with other dogs and often breaking bones. And a dog that can’t run, that can’t race and generate profit, is usually a dead dog.
With your support, we will continue to fight industries that exploit and abuse animals for profit — so The Animal Legal Defense Fund wil ensure that campaigns like the one in Florida continue. 

In Defense of Animals
Demand Maximum Sentencing for Dogs Starved Almost to Death. It is difficult to imagine being intentionally starved to death by the very people you depend on to love and care for you. However, a recent tip to authorities saved the lives of two dogs who were deprived of food, almost to the brink of death, in Jackson County, Alabama. We must act quickly to see justice served for the animals who barely escaped their cruel and negligent captors. TAKE ACTION

In Defense of Animals
Stop Big Dairy from Stomping on Ethical Competitors. Big dairy is at it again. This time, it's put all of its might behind an outrageously desperate proposal — which, unbelievably, the FDA is taking seriously — banning plant-based foods from carrying the term "milk." We can't let the dairy industry continue to manipulate the market and stomp on its plant-based competitors. TAKE ACTION

In Defense of Animals
Victory! Proposition 12 Has Passed in California! We're thrilled to announce that Proposition 12, the Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act, has passed in California with a majority vote! This legislation will ban the extreme confinement of baby calves used for veal, mother pigs, and egg-laying hens in tiny cages by the end of 2021, and will ensure that companies from other states that wish to sell animal products in California also have to meet these stricter standards. READ MORE

In Defense of Animals
Victory! Perverse Wild Horse Sterilization Experiments Dropped! Pregnant mares have been saved from a barbaric spay-abort procedure in the nick of time! After an overwhelming storm of opposition, the Bureau of Land Management has finally dropped its cruel plans to brutally rip out the ovaries of wild horse mares, many of them already pregnant. The tortuous procedure known as ovariectomy via colpotomy uses a metal rod and chain (ecraseur) and has been shown to have a high complication and mortality rate. LEARN MORE

In Defense of Animals
VIDEO: Mad Cow Disease, African Swine Fever & Bird Flu Outbreaks! Outbreaks of deadly viruses and antibiotic resistant bacteria from animal farms have reached a hazardous peak. During this past month alone, there have been outbreaks of African Swine Fever throughout Europe and Asia, Mad Cow Disease confirmed in Scotland, and Bird Flu detected in the USA and Southern Bulgaria. Deadly diseases in animal products are spreading rapidly throughout the world. For the health of your loved ones, the planet and animals, choose veg. WATCH VIDEO