1. Hero Veterinarian Dr. Matviichuk Risks His Life To Care For Animal Victims Of War-Torn Ukraine; Help ‘In Defense Of Animals’ Support His Courageous Efforts
In the midst of the unfathomable chaos, destruction, and heartbreak that is currently taking place in Ukraine due to Russia’s brutal attack on the country, countless heroes emerge. Among them is Ukrainian veterinarian Vladyslav Matviichuk D.V.M., who has bravely chosen to stay to help provide critical support and care for the animal victims suffering in Ukraine.
In Defense of Animals (IDA) has provided Matviichuk with $5,000 USD to help address his shortage of medicine and equipment. They are continuing to raise funds to provide additional assistance to Ukrainians that are helping animals and shared with WAN Dr. Matviichuk’s harrowing story.
WANand Peace 4 Animals are making a matching $5,000 USD donation that will be forwarded to help Dr. Matviichuk continue his life-saving work.
2. WAN Exclusive With ‘Paws Of War’ Which Is Helping Ukrainian Refugees, Pets, Strays & Farm Animals On The Borders & Inside Ukraine
The hands-on veteran and animal rescue organization Paws of War is helping refugees in Ukraine and their pets find safety and refuge after escaping the war-torn country. WAN spoke in-depth with co-founder Robert Misseri about the many ways the remarkable nonprofit is making a substantial difference, not only for families and their pets, but for strays and farm animals as well.
Paws of War was established in 2014 with the intent of assisting veterans and first responders with numerous animal-related issues, including rescuing, training, and placing service and support dogs with those in need.
While that continues to remain the main focus of the organization, Paws of War has since evolved into a multi-purpose-driven organization with a host of services and special programs, such as its ‘War Torn Pups and Cats’ initiative which reunites U.S. military personnel with the rescued animals they found and bonded with while serving in other countries.
3. Heartwarming News As A Critically Endangered Sumatran Rhino Is Born At The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary In Indonesia
On March 24th, a critically endangered Sumatran rhino calf was born at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, Way Kambas National Park (SRS TNWK),in Lampung Province.
The Sumatran rhino is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.Sadly, numerous threats, including poaching and habitat loss, have brought them to the brink of extinction. There are believed to be less than 80 Sumatran rhinos left in the wild, living in small, isolated populations on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
One of Africa’s most recognizable species, the common hippopotamus, faces a high-risk of extinction and is disappearing from the wild. With only as few as 115,000adult hippos remaining in the wild in Africa, and increasing threats from habitat loss and degradation, poaching, and trade in hippo parts—teeth, skulls, ivory, skin and meat—the future of hippos is uncertain.
The comprehensive analysis of trade included in the filed petition demonstrates that hippos are highly sought after by traders, poachers, and trophy hunters for their ivory tusks and other body parts.
5. The 2022 Spring Bear Hunt In Washington Has Been Cancelled This Year After The Fish & Wildlife Commission Voted Against It For The Second Time
TheWashington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 5-4 against a proposed 2022 spring bear-hunting season. The vote by the commission, which oversees the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, is the second related to this year’s season. It follows an attempt by hunting groups to reverse the original November 2021 suspension of the hunt.
“This vote is a big win for both science and black bears, and it will protect bear cubs from being orphaned by a reckless spring hunt,” said Sophia Ressler, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “The commission once again told state wildlife officials that they won’t authorize a hunt without a proper analysis of the threats to Washington’s bears. We hope the wildlife agency actually listens this time.”
Vulnerable black bears emerge from their dens in the spring, struggling to gain weight after winter hibernation. This is particularly challenging for mother bears who must also feed their hungry cubs. In previous years, Washington allowed hunters with a “special permit” to kill black bears during this time.
6. Born Free USA & HSI Release New Undercover Investigation Revealing The Shocking Brutality Of Fur Trapping In The United States
Born Free USA, in collaboration with Humane Society International, released the results of its shocking new undercover investigation exposing the cruelty of animal trapping in the United States for the fur trade. The move comes at a critical time amidst concerns that the UK government could be considering abandoning a ban on cruel fur imports.
‘Trapped: Exposing the Violence of Animal Trapping in the U.S.,’ follows an undercover investigator who accompanied three trappers in the field in Iowa in November and December of 2021, to witness how animals are trapped and killed for fur and so-called “recreation.” Prior to that, he had attended the National Trappers Association convention in July and a state-sponsored “Trappers Education Course” in November.
“Trapped: Exposing the Violence of Trapping in the U.S. has two objectives: to document the reality of trapping, where sentient beings are brutally exploited, and lives are ended with such casual disregard and lack of compassion. The goal of the investigation is to accelerate measures to bring an end to this cruel practice and its associated activities, including selling the skins of trapped animals for profit,” explained Will Travers OBE, co-founder and president of Born Free.
7. 21 Dogs From The Dog Meat Trade & Puppy Mills Are Rescued & Relocated From China To Canada By Lady Freethinker, World Of Angels Foundation & Rescue PAWS
Lady Freethinkerand partners arranged for 21rescue dogs in Beijing, China, to be relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia. The flight, which arrived at Vancouver International Airport on Wednesday, March 16th, represents a new lease on life for many of these animals who will be united with their adoptive families for the first time.
The dogs on the flight were rescued from dire situations, including the dog meat trade, puppy mills, and as strays. A litter of five puppies, whose pregnant mother was saved from being loaded onto a dog meat truck, was among those on the plane. Passengers also included a schnauzer named Angie who was a puppy mill dog about to be sold to a slaughterhouse. Many other dogs had been abandoned by their owners and were living on the streets.
Lady Freethinker generously donated $43,400 to relocate the dogs from Beijing to Vancouver, in partnership with World of Angels Foundation, which was housing the dogs at its shelter in China. Rescue PAWS Canada has also been instrumental in finding these rescued animals a loving adoptive home.
8. Ecuador Votes To Recognize The Legal Rights Of Animals In The Constitution & Requires New Legislation To Be Drafted To Protect Them
For the first time, the Constitutional Court of Ecuador has recognized the legal rights of nonhuman animals. The ruling not only elevates the legal status of nonhuman animals under Ecuador’s constitutional rights of nature, but also requires that new legislation be drafted to protect the rights of animals.
The court’s ruling was the result of a habeas corpus action filed by Ana Beatriz Burbano Proaño on behalf of Estrellita, a woolly monkey who had lived in her home for 18 years. Environmental authorities had forcibly seized the monkey on the grounds that possessing a “wild animal” is prohibited by Ecuadorian law. Estrellita sadly died within a month of being relocated to a zoo.
Ecuador was the first country to include a rights of nature provision in its national Constitution. When the case came before Ecuador’s Constitutional Court, the judges elected to consider several issues, including: the scope of the country’s rights of nature provision; whether animals qualify as the subject of rights; and whether Estrellita’s rights were violated.
9. U.S. Court Strikes Down Second Ag-Gag Law In Iowa Deeming It Unconstitutional And A Violation Of The First Amendment
Earlier this week, theU.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa ruled Iowa’s second Ag-Gag law, also known as IowaAg-Gag 2.0, as unconstitutional, holding that the law violates the First Amendment. It criminalizes undercover investigations at factory farms, slaughterhouses, and puppy mills.
The law, which is similar to the state’s first Ag-Gag statute, blocked free speech by criminalizing undercover investigations at slaughterhouses, deterring the exposure of animal cruelty, unsafe working conditions, and food safety threats at such facilities.
After the coalition succeeded in striking down Iowa’s first Ag-Gag law at the district court level, the state wasted no time by passing Ag-Gag 2.0, creating the new crime of “agricultural production facility trespass.” The second law criminalized the same investigative activities as the first, targeting a slightly different form of speech integral to those investigations.
