Published June 30, 2008 @ 03:02PM PST

In a third undercover investigation of the livestock industry, the HSUS has revealed that sick and injured dairy cows (also known as downers) continue to be abused. Our investigators have gone undercover at one slaughter plant and five livestock auctions in different parts of the country and found terrible abuse at all locations. The latest investigation occurred at the Portales Livestock Auction in Portales, New Mexico. Investigators documented cows being shocked, kicked, struck, and dragged. They saw several calves and cows with broken legs, laminitis, and eye injuries/diseases. This continued terrible abuse of downer cows has to stop! There is no time to waste. See our latest investigation video, then urge the USDA to change their regulations immediately. P.S. Don't forget to ... Read More

Published June 27, 2008 @ 10:19AM PST

Yesterday, The Humane Society of the United States led a massive rescue effort to save nearly 700 breeding dogs and puppies from Pine Bluff Kennels. This is the largest puppy mill rescue in Tennessee history! Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIV5l4gd_Oo Thankfully, the animals are now safely housed in a temporary emergency shelter and veterinarians are assessing their medical needs. The animals will soon be placed with HSUS partner shelters and given the chance to be adopted into loving homes. After you watch the video, take these five actions to help put all puppy mills out of business: 1) Make a special donation to help us save dogs and puppies from puppy mills. 2) Sign the Stop Puppy Mills Pledge 3) Add a Stop Puppy Mills badge to your social networking... Read More

Published June 25, 2008 @ 07:41PM PST

The HSUS Animal Rescue Team has been very busy the past two weeks responding to devastating flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Dozens of team members and NDART volunteers were sent to the affected area to oversee emergency animal shelters and perform water and land rescues. When the rescuers first arrived in Iowa, the area was submerged in toxic floodwaters.  Thousands of people were forced from their homes and thousands of animals were left behind to fend for themselves.  The rescuers responded to urgent rescue requests on both land and water and were able to help over 1,000 animals in just two weeks.  Although it was an exhausting mission, it was a great success. It was very rewarding for the rescuers to save and return pets to their anxious owners. As many as 50 ... Read More

Published June 24, 2008 @ 02:05PM PST

Iceland is killing whales again and we need your help to make them stop.  Please take action to save these magnificent creatures from unnecessary slaughter! There is no good reason to kill whales.  They aren’t overpopulated.  They aren’t a threat to anyone.  And despite false claims by fishermen, they aren’t eating all the fish!   But killing whales isn’t just needless-it’s cruel.  All methods of killing whales are inhumane because of the large size of even the smallest whales.  It’s very difficult to kill them instantaneously or render them immediately unconscious.   Because of this, whales may suffer horrible and painful deaths lasting anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. [check out the v... Read More

Published June 16, 2008 @ 10:43AM PST

The HSUS Animal Rescue Team is currently in Iowa performing water rescue of animals as mass flooding across the Cedar Rapids area has forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.  Even as severe thunderstorms pass through and tornado warnings circle, The HSUS is working nonstop to save and shelter displaced pets.  With seven team members on the ground, and more on the way, The HSUS is performing water and land rescue as well as supervising an animal emergency shelter.  The rescued animals are being transported to an emergency shelter at Kirkwood Community College, where they are decontaminated and treated by veterinarians.  Already, dozens of animals have been reunited with their families and more than 300 are being housed at the emergency shelter. Wit... Read More

Published June 13, 2008 @ 10:38AM PST

One-hundred years ago there were 100,000 tigers; now there are fewer than 4,000. Though tigers are protected by national and international laws, they are being poached to supply the international trade in tiger parts and products, and they are threatened by habitat destruction and loss of their prey.  Tigers are a critically endangered species and we have to do something now to try and save them.  The Humane Society International's "Tiger Kids" gathered at the National Zoo on Monday in Washington, DC to try and do just that.  Policymakers, ambassadors, and celebrities from around the world also joined together to launch the World Bank's Tiger Conservation Initiative--an initiative that hopes to reverse the decline of the world's wild tigers.    ... Read More

Published June 13, 2008 @ 10:35AM PST

In early March, a video of what looked to be a US Marine throwing a squealing puppy over a cliff in Iraq rapidly circulated on the internet.  The HSUS was bombarded with phone calls, emails, and messages from concerned citizens.  Our President, Wayne Pacelle, immediately sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, asking that the Department of Defense investigate and take swift and appropriate disciplinary action. We now have word that the Marine in the video, Lance Cpl. David Motari, has been removed from the Marine Corps.  Read the full article on CNN.com http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/12/marine.puppy/index.html Then take action to support the inclusion of an explicit prohibition against cruelty to animals in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Read More

Published June 03, 2008 @ 10:19AM PST

The US Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) is at it again.  First, they interfere with our Meijer, Inc. promotion to raise money for pets affected by the foreclosure crisis, but now they are opposing legislation to help crack down on puppy mills and spreading false rumors about us!  We can’t let this extremist group get away with this! We have never been, are not, and never will be against pet ownership! What’s our mission? Celebrating animals, confronting cruelty!  To prove these naysayers wrong, please consider making a special gift of $10 on behalf of each of the pets you love. Your donation will go towards the pets affected by the foreclosure crisis. Pets helping pets!!  Step 1: Click here to make a donation:  Step 2: post a photo of your pet o... Read More

Published May 28, 2008 @ 12:20PM PST

Help us Fight Back! Let Amazon.com CEO Jeffrey Bezos know that now is the time for him to abandon his support of animal fighting thugs, comply with federal law, and stop selling animal fighting paraphernalia on Amazon.com! In 2007, The HSUS filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop Amazon.com from peddling two barbaric animal fighting magazines-The Gamecock and The Feathered Warrior-in violation of an HSUS-backed federal law that prohibits the advertising and sale of fighting birds, fighting dogs, and animal fighting paraphernalia. This month, the publishers of "The Gamecock" magazine agreed to permanently change the magazine's format to exclude all ads for fighting animals, knives, and other illegal paraphernalia.  It also agreed to stop selling the magazine on Amazon.com until ... Read More

Published May 27, 2008 @ 03:02PM PST

Until just a few weeks ago, the Chaiten volcano in Chile had been silent for over 9,000 years.  As the volcano erupted on May 2nd, citizens of Chaiten were forced to evacuate the area.  Thousands of pets and farm animals were left behind to fend for themselves.  Fortunately, our experienced disaster responders have worked tirelessly for the past two weeks responding to the needs of animals left behind.  Despite many obstacles, our animal rescue team was able to coordinate sheltering and care for the animals who could be rescued.  Through the rescuers’ extraordinary work, animals were literally brought from the ashes of this disaster to safety.    One dog’s story exemplifies the impact our team made there.  The dog, probably a sh... Read More