1. Victory! The Big Cat Public Safety Act (HR1380) has passed the U.S. House of Representatives
Starting off with a huge victory, the Big Cat Public Safety Act (HR1380), has passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
The bill would ban private ownership and public contact with lions, tigers, and other big cats, as well as restrict their breeding, trade, and exploitation. The bill now moves to the Senate for a vote.
Contact your senators today and urge them to pass this critical bill to help protect big cats.
READ MORE, HERE!
2. Cher Helps Kaavan, The World’s Loneliest Elephant, Finally Relocate From The Marghazar Zoo In Pakistan To The Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary
Kaavan, the world’s loneliest elephant, has finally relocated from the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, to the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, with global animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS International overseeing the transfer.
As WAN reported in 2017, Free The Wild Co-founder, music legend Cher, has been fighting for Kaavan’s rescue since 2016.
READ MORE, HERE!
3. WAN Exclusive: A Heroic Community Unites In Months-Long Effort To Save An Injured Deer Whose Antlers Were Tangled In Wire Mesh
An example of compassion, inclusiveness, and the power that each person has to make a positive difference in the world occurred over the past several months when a community united to save the life of an adult male deer in peril, in Glendale, California.
WAN had the opportunity to speak with many of the individuals in the community who worked together to help free the buck whose antlers were tangled in a life-threatening combination of discarded heavy-duty construction wire and mesh.
READ MORE, HERE!
4. Breaking! New Report By Oceana Finds That Plastic Pollution Is Responsible For Entangling & Choking 1,800 Marine Animals In U.S. Waters
In a recently released report, Oceana reveals data on marine mammals and sea turtles becoming entangled and swallowing plastic off the coast of the United States. After surveying dozens of government agencies, organizations, and institutions that collect data on the impact of plastic on marine animals, Oceana found evidence of nearly 1,800 animals from 40 different species swallowing or becoming entangled in plastic since 2009.
Of those, a staggering 88% were species listed as endangered or threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act. Perhaps even more concerning, Oceana says that the animals reflected in this report are far fewer than the true number of sea turtles and marine mammals that consume or become entangled in plastic pollution in U.S. waters.
READ MORE, HERE!
5. Undercover Investigation Exposes South African President’s Secret Ties To Trophy Hunting, Including A 50% Stake In Tsala Hunting Safaris
PETA has uncovered South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s hidden connections to, and investments in, the trophy hunting industry. The revelations came after the group released video footage of an American tourist who ineptly shot and killed a young elephant on a nature reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park.
PETA’s recordings of Ramaphosa’s managers reveal that he is quietly developing and expanding a trophy hunting property called Diepdrift and stocking it with animals from his personal wildlife-breeding operation, Phala Phala. He also owns a 50% stake in Tsala Hunting Safaris.
Please sign PETA’s form to urge UPS to ban the shipment of hunting trophies HERE! (Bottom of their page)
READ MORE, HERE!
6. The UK Government Moves To Ban The Cruel Practice Of Live Animal Exports For Slaughter In England & Wales
UK Secretary of State for Environment, George Eustice, announced plans to ban the export of live animals for slaughter. The move marks the beginning of renewed efforts from the UK Government to raise standards on animal welfare even further, including taking steps to ban primates as pets and crack down on the illegal smuggling of dogs and puppies.
READ MORE, HERE!
7. Six Trafficking Arrests Made In Mexico For The Illegal Poaching Of Protected Totoaba; The Main Reason For The Decline Of The Critically Endangered Vaquita Porpoise
In a precedent-setting legal development, Mexican authorities have arrested six suspected totoaba traffickers under charges of Organized Crime and Crimes Against the Environment. This is the first time that charges of this nature have been applied in Mexico.
Earth League International’s confidential data on Totoaba Cartels from ‘Operation Fake Gold’ helped support the work of Mexican authorities.
Totoaba poaching is the primary cause of the decline of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, the world’s most endangered marine mammal, which exists only in a small region in Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California. There are sadly fewer than 15 vaquitas remaining in the wild.
READ MORE, HERE!
8. Peace 4 Animals’ & WAN’s New Billboard Campaign Urges People To Save Millions Of Lives This Holiday By Choosing Health & Compassion On Their Plate
