1. Victory! Expedia Group & All Of Its Travel Brands Ban Activities That Exploit Captive Dolphins, Whales & Other Species Of Wildlife For Entertainment
Following years of pressure from animal advocates, Expedia Group, which is one of the world’s most recognized online travel brands, has announced that it will no longer promote so-called “entertainment” that exploits captive dolphins and whales for profit.
The positive news, which comes at a time when the travel industry is beginning to recover from the effects of the pandemic, is part of the organization’s recently changed animal welfare policy.
“As a result, attractions and activities that involve performances by or interactions with dolphins and other cetaceans will no longer be available on our sites,” the company shared in a message on its Twitter page. Those sites include Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Vrbo, Hotwire, Orbitz, Expedia Cruises, Trivago, and several other online brands that operate under Expedia Group.
READ MORE, HERE!
2. Bolivia Arrests Five Notorious Chinese Jaguar Traffickers In Collaboration With Earth League International
Following a three-year investigation by Earth League International (ELI), Bolivian authorities arrested five Chinese nationals who were South America’s most notorious jaguar traffickers. The arrests were made as part of “Operation Jaguar,” in collaboration with the Netherlands’ National Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN NL).
Bolivia’s Ministry of Environment and Water confirmed on their Facebook page that the perpetrators were arrested for trafficking jaguar parts from Bolivia to China and are now behind bars or out on bail in La Paz.
READ MORE, HERE!
3. Victory! Wildlife Advocates Convince USFWS To Keep Protections For Threatened Canadian Lynx & Finally Write A Recovery Plan After Nearly Two Decades
A coalition of conservation organizations secured a legal settlement that will aid in the recovery of threatened Canadian lynx. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will abandon plans to remove Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the struggling snow cat in the contiguous United States and initiate a recovery plan for the species after nearly 20 years of delay.
The agreement stems from a legal challenge wildlife advocates brought against the Service for its failure to prepare a recovery plan for the threatened Canadian lynx over this extended period of time.
The tentative date for a final recovery plan is December 1, 2024.
READ MORE, HERE!
4. Shocking Undercover Investigation Exposes Auction House Of Horrors Where Over 550 Hunting Trophies Are Sold To The Highest Bidder
A shocking undercover investigation conducted in Iowa by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Humane Society International (HSI) found what can only be described as a massive graveyard of the trophy hunting industry.
A four-day event where thousands of animals, including at least 557 hunting “trophies” of mammals no longer wanted by the people who killed them, were sold to the highest bidders.
Shelves and bins were packed with discarded so-called “trophies,” including threatened and endangered species such as elephants and polar bears. There were also other imperiled foreign species including giraffes and hippos, and countless other “trophies” of American wildlife such as grizzly bears, black bears, and mountain lions.
READ MORE, HERE!
5. Judge Decides To Cancel Wisconsin’s November Wolf Hunt, Temporarily Sparing The Lives Of Hundreds Of Wolves
In the biggest news so far this year for wolf protection in the United States, a court in Wisconsin issued an injunction requiring that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) temporarily halt the wolf trophy hunt that was scheduled to begin on November 6th.
According to Project Coyote, which was one of the organizations that had filed a legal action against the DNR calling for the injunction, Dane County Judge Jacob Frost ordered the DNR to temporarily set the wolf quota at zero, and to issue zero licenses allowing hunters to kill wolves. While this is a positive move, Frost also noted that the injunction was in place only until the rule was updated.
READ MORE, HERE!
6. Indonesia’s First-Ever Dog Meat Prosecution Results In Trader Being Sentenced To 10 Months In Prison & Fined $10,000
A dog meat trader in Indonesia has been found guilty and sentenced to 10 months in jail, along with a $10,000 fine (150 million IDR). This marks the country’s first-ever dog meat prosecution and conviction under Indonesia’s animal health laws.
As previously reported by WAN, the trader was caught in May by Kulon Progo District Police, transporting 78 dogs in the back of a truck. Sadly, only 62 dogs survived the ordeal. The dogs were trafficked from Garut in West Java, via Kulon Progo, headed to slaughter for human consumption throughout Central Java.
READ MORE, HERE!
7. McDonald’s Launches Its Exclusive New Beyond Meat McPlant Burger At Eight Locations Throughout The U.S. Beginning On November 3rd
McDonald’s recently launched a delicious new version of its plant-based burger featuring Beyond Meat, called the McPlant, in eight select restaurants across the United States.
According to a statement by McDonalds, for a limited time, the new and improved McPlant burger is available while supplies last at McDonald’s locations in: Irving and Carrollton, Texas; Cedar Falls, Iowa; Jennings and Lake Charles, Louisiana; and El Segundo and Manhattan Beach, California.
As previously reported by WAN, in February, Beyond Meat Inc. announced the establishment of a three-year global strategic agreement with McDonald’s Corporation.
READ MORE, HERE!
8. The McCartney Family, Joaquin Phoenix & Ela Gandhi Are Among Those Urging UN’s COP26 To Adopt The Plant Based Treaty To Avert A Climate Catastrophe
