WASHINGTON – As the year comes to a close, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, has selected the top animal stories for 2005.
"More people than ever are demonstrating a concern for the plight of animals and signs of change are all around us," Pacelle said. "Animals are now being more recognized as members of our families. More animal protection laws have been passed by the states and the Congress and more companies are reforming their practices to reflect greater concern for animals. I'm hopeful 2006 will bring us closer to a truly humane society, where every animal is afforded respect and compassion and people are enriched by their expressions of humane values."
Here are Pacelle's top picks for the year:
12. Gray wolves get a reprieve. A federal court ruled that the U.S. Department of the Interior wrongly changed the status of the gray wolf—a species with an estimated population of 3,700 in the United States—from endangered to threatened.
11. Colton tigers go to a hew home, Colton owner goes to jail. In February, a California jury found John Weinhart guilty on 56 separate counts, including 13 counts of felony animal cruelty. He was sentenced to two years in county jail and five years probation. When wildlife authorities seized Weinhart's collection of tigers, leopards and lions in 2003, The Fund for Animals assumed care for more than 70 of the animals at Weinhart's defunct pseudo-sanctuary and at The Fund's Wildlife Rehabilitation Center near San Diego. The animals were placed at reputable sanctuaries and zoos around the country, and a new habitat was built for the final group of 39 tigers at the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) ARK2000 sanctuary in San Andreas, Calif.
10. HSUS works to ensure pet cloning is not repeated. A woman looking to reproduce her deceased cat paid $50,000 to a California company for the first commercially cloned cat in December 2004. With millions of healthy and adoptable cats and dogs killed each year for lack of suitable homes, the challenge isn't finding new ways to create animals, but curbing the growth of pet populations and fostering an ethic in society that prompts people to adopt and care for creatures in need. In 2006, The HSUS plans to help introduce a federal bill banning the sale of cloned pets.
9. States pull plug on Internet hunting. Last January, a Texas man became the first "hunter" to kill a confined animal via computer on the Liveshot.com website. State lawmakers were immediately urged to take action, and to date, 13 states, including Texas, have banned Internet hunting; 7 more have introduced bills. Congress has also introduced the Computer-Assisted Remote Hunting Act (H.R. 1558), which prohibits computer-assisted hunting.
8. Michigan mourning dove hunts are canceled. In 2004, Michigan's governor signed a bill that overturned a 99-year-old ban on hunting mourning doves. In March, animal advocates launched a petition drive and gathered enough signatures to place a measure opposing the dove hunt on the 2006 Michigan ballot and also cancel the dove hunts for 2005-2006.
7. Officials take a bite out of animal fighting. In March, Louisiana state police arrested one of the nation's most infamous fighting dog breeders. In June, federal and state authorities raided what was believed to be the nation's largest illegal cockfighting pit in Tennessee. In November, a state judge in New York ordered one of the country's most notorious dog fighting kingpins to pay more than $130,000 for the care of the dogs seized from his operation. State lawmakers in North Carolina passed a felony cockfighting bill, and Washington State made both dog fighting and cockfighting felony crimes. Nationally, the Senate passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act, imposing felony-level jail time for the interstate and foreign movement of animals used for fighting as well as for the weapons used in cockfighting. The bill awaits action in the House.
6. Tens of thousands protest Canada's seal hunt. A team of HSUS observers documented the annual baby seal hunt off the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts of Canada last spring. Since then, the Protect Seals campaign has recruited more than 130,000 individuals to join the Canadian seafood boycott. The campaign also organized a national "day of action" at Red Lobster restaurants in hopes of convincing the seafood chain to use its economic clout to change Canadian public opinion about the hunt.
5. Laying hens are shown the battery cage door. In 2005 The HSUS launched its No Battery Eggs campaign. During the year, a number of major companies, including Whole Foods Market, Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, Earth Fare, Bon Appetit, and Trader Joe's moved toward cage-free egg sales. In recent decades, laying hens in the U.S. have been housed in battery cages, with the birds crammed into a set area so small they are unable to spread their wings.
4. Congress looks to stuff the trophy hunting tax scam. An HSUS investigation into canned hunting exposed a tax scam in which wealthy trophy hunters write off extravagant safari costs by donating stuffed mounts to so-called museums. As a result, Charles Grassley (R-IA) had tightened the loophole for charitable donations as part of the Senate's "Tax Relief Act of 2005," which passed the chamber on November 18. The House version of the bill did not include the language, so a conference committee will have to work out the differences in early 2006.
3. The HSUS and The Fund for Animals join forces. The HSUS and The Fund for Animals joined forces in 2005. The expanded organization launched four major campaigns targeting factory farms, the fur industry, sport hunting and animal fighting and other forms of cruelty. The new HSUS also launched its Animal Protection Litigation section and established the Humane Society Legislative Fund, dedicated to expanding animal-welfare lobbying at the state and federal levels for laws that make the world a genuinely more humane place.
2. Americans wrap their arms around Katrina's animal victims. During the days, weeks, and months following Hurricane Katrina, The HSUS did everything possible to help rescue and shelter an estimated 10,000 animals along the Gulf Coast. Americans donated generously to save these pets and The HSUS responded in kind by opening two emergency shelters and providing volunteers and staff by the hundreds as well as supplies, trucks and trailers. The HSUS continues its work by rebuilding shelters along the Gulf, creating spay/neuter programs, and launching a humane trapping program to deal with the ongoing homeless pet population in Louisiana. The HSUS is also backing new public policies to ensure government responders account for animals in disasters.
1. Congress votes to ban horse slaughter. Unbeknownst to most Americans, tens of thousands of America's horses end up as meat on foreign tables. This year, both chambers of Congress overwhelmingly passed similar amendments to remove funding for Department of Agriculture inspections of slaughterhouses that process horses in 2006. When the amendment came under fire in conference committee, The HSUS mobilized horse advocates, who flooded Congress with calls, prompting one Congressman to remark that he received more calls about the horse issue than the Supreme Court nomination. The amendment stayed, but only for 8 months of next year, instead of the expected 12. The HSUS is lobbying Congress to make the horse slaughter ban permanent.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization representing more than 9.5 million members and constituents. The non-profit organization is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy, and fieldwork. The group is based in Washington and has numerous field representatives across the country.
