On the first-ever national Humane Lobby Day, animal activists from across the country gathered in 20 state capitols and had an opportunity to discuss animal issues with their elected officials. What they all learned was that one voice truly can truly make a difference.

In California and Washington enthusiastic animal advocates descended on state capitols in Sacramento and Olympia. In Washington, 20 volunteers visited lawmakers to remind them that Washington voters don’t support cougar hunting. They are fighting an attempt to expand hound hunting of cougars in the state, even though voters banned the practice through statewide Initiative 655 in 1996. A bill this session would expand a four-year cougar-hunting “pilot project” to seven years.

“Our position is that seven years of killing cougars is not a pilot project. It is contrary to the will of Washington voters,” said Washington State Director Inga Gibson.

Gibson said many of the volunteers at the Capitol had never lobbied their legislators before. In addition to the cougar hunting legislation, the activists pushed for a bill that would require authorities to include animals in disaster plans.

“Nothing replaces a legislator hearing from their constituents in person,” Gibson said. “It’s invaluable.”
 
In California, animal protection activists were focused on a massive—and successful—statewide effort to collect nearly 800,000 signatures to get an initiative, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, on the ballot this fall. The initiative will prevent California factory farms from confining animals in the most restrictive crates or cages—specifically, veal crates for calves, battery cages for egg-laying hens, and gestation crates for breeding pigs.

Humane Lobby Day came at crunch time for signature-gathering efforts, but 20 volunteers made it to Sacramento anyway. They pushed measures to promote spaying and neutering, as well as increased penalties for dogfighting. “The California volunteers also argued that is it time to halt the use of great apes—chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans—in advertisements, television, and movies,” said Regional Program Manager Curt Ransom.