1. Vincent Lemark Burrell Arrested In Massive Dogfighting Ring Bust For Breeding & Training 106 Pit Bulls At His Georgia Home
This month, Vincent Lemark Burrellwas arrested for breeding, training, and facilitating over one hundred pit bulls in conjunction with a massive dogfighting operation at his home in Paulding County, Georgia.
According to the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, after a lengthy investigation, detectives apprehended the 55-year-old alleged criminal on November 8th after finding 106 dogs, mostly pit bulls, on his property in various conditions. Thankfully, authorities rescued all of the dogs and were able to get them placed with rescue facilities where they will begin their rehabilitation.
2. Undercover Investigation Exposes Wildlife Trafficking In Mexico; Imperiled Species For Sale In Digital Marketplaces On Social Media
A newreport from the Center for Biological Diversity finds that the trafficking of imperiled wildlife is widespread across Mexico. Species such as jaguars, sloths, howler monkeys, and crocodiles are traded openly in a robust digital marketplace aided by social media.
An undercover investigation carried out by a Center associate between May and August of 2022 confirmed the extent of the problem and exposed traders’ methods. Lax government enforcement, a lack of political will to address the problem, and weak social media oversight all contribute to the illegal wildlife market and ensure access for buyers and sellers.
The EIS process will identify a range of alternatives for restoring the bears to the mountainous region to support the recovery and eventual delisting of grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Actin the contiguous United States.
4. Wildlife Groups Sue The State Of Montana To Stop The Senseless Wolf Slaughter; Take Action To Stop Wolf Trapping That Begins On November 28th!
Conservation groups WildEarth Guardians and Project Coyotefiled a lawsuit in Montana alleging that the state’s extreme anti-wolf hunting and trapping policies violate the Montana Constitution, Montana Administrative Procedure Act (MAPA), Public Trust Doctrine, and several federal laws meant to protect wildlife on federally-managed lands.
Filed in the middle of the state’s wolf hunting season with wolf trapping set to start on November 28th,the lawsuit claims that Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (MFWP),and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission,are violating the law by relying on stale and insufficient scientific data in order to authorize the killing of roughly 40% of the state’s wolf population this coming winter. Moreover, the lawsuit alleges that the state is flouting its responsibility to “manage” wildlife for the benefit of the entire public and is overstepping its management authority by allowing wolf slaughter on the boundaries of federal lands.
5. Kenya’s Severe Drought Continues To Worsen As Hundreds Of Threatened & Endangered Species Lose Their Lives
From trophy hunting to illegal wildlife trafficking, the lives of wild animals in Africa are continually threatened. Tragically, hundreds of them have also fallen victim to yet another hazard, the relentless drought that has been plaguing Kenya for more than two years.
Cabinet Secretary for The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Heritage, Peninah Malonza, shared the news in conjunction with the release of the Ministry’s new report which examines the effects of the current drought on wildlife in Kenya’s protected areas.
According to The Impacts Of The Current Drought On Wildlife In Kenya,the deaths of 205 elephants, 512 wildebeests, 381 common zebras, 51 buffalos, 49 Grevy’s zebras, and 12 giraffes have been counted in the past nine months alone.
6. Hong Kong’s Largest Sea Smuggling Case Busted With $300 Million Worth Of Items, Including Shark Fins, Seized
Dried shark fins were among the many items hidden in mislabeled containers that Hong Kong Customsuncovered late last month. They discovered a vessel that was being used to smuggle goods to the Mainland at the Kwai Chung Container Terminals.
The massive haul of confiscated items, which had a total estimated market value of $300 million, marked the largest sea smuggling case in terms of the seizure value to be intercepted by the department this year.
7. Smalltail Shark Species Have Declined By 80% In Almost Three Decades; New Petition Seeks To Protect Them Under The Endangered Species Act
The Center for Biological Diversitysubmitted a petition urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect the smalltail shark under the Endangered Species Act.The smalltail shark population has declined by more than 80% globally over the past 27 years.
The smalltail shark is found in the Gulf of Mexico south to Brazil, where it has been eliminated from waters off the coast of at least 11 Brazilian states.
“The rapid and catastrophic decline of the smalltail shark is alarming, and the species needs immediate help,” said Kristin Carden, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “More than 100 million sharks, including smalltail sharks, are killed every year for their fins, meat, and other body parts. Without Endangered Species Act protections, the smalltail shark will soon become another victim of the global extinction crisis.”
8. Victory! Roman Court Spares The Lives Of Over 100 Rescued Pigs After There Was A Proposal To Kill Them Over African Swine Fever
In Defense of Animals applauds the decision to spare over 100 healthy rescue pigs and urban boars at an Italian sanctuary following a ruling by the regional court, TAR Lazio,in Rome. Local health officials proposed killing the pigs in an attempt to stop the spread of African swine fever. This, despite all of the animals being registered with the proper health authorities and easily identifiable with microchips that prove they will never be forced into the food production system, which legally spared them from the fate they have avoided.
On October 10th, the court accepted the appeal of over 16,000 In Defense of AnimalsSupporters and other animal allies worldwide, deeming the proposed slaughter illegitimate.
