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.
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 settlementthat will aid in the recovery of threatened Canadian lynx. As a result, theU.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 yearsof 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.
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 aselephantsand polar bears. There were also other imperiled foreign species including giraffesand hippos,and countless other “trophies” of American wildlife such as grizzly bears,black bears,andmountain lions.
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.
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 78dogs in the back of a truck. Sadly, only 62 dogssurvived the ordeal. The dogs were trafficked from Garut in West Java, via Kulon Progo, headed to slaughter for human consumption throughout Central Java.
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.
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
Paul McCartney and his daughters Mary and Stella McCartney, actors Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara, and Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter, Ela Gandhi, urged the UN’s COP26to adopt the Plant Based Treaty to avert a climate catastrophe.
As previously reported by WAN, the icons join Moby,Peter Egan, and Jerome Flynn, as well as leading scientists and leaders in issuing a strong message to COP26 delegates, urging them to adopt the Plant Based Treaty as a companion to the Paris Agreement.
