Spring 2007
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Mutilated for a Meal Shark fin soup has been popular in Asia for many years, with one bowl carrying a 3-digit price tag. While many countries have laws to protect vulnerable sharks from the brutal industry that robs them of their fins to produce this expensive "delicacy," the species is still at risk. An... more...
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Beijing Olympics 2008 For $235, the cow was dumped from a truck to meet her fate. The tigers attacked within seconds, ineptly tearing her flesh as she struggled to survive. While a wild tiger would have dispatched the cow quickly, these captive tigers had become accustomed to being fed by humans and had... more...
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Elephants in Peril, again Customs officials in Singapore were prepared when a freighter arrived at port in June 2002. In a container from the African country of Malawi, they found what they were looking for: 532 elephant tusks and 42,120 carved ivory seals. The haul represented an estimated 3,000 to 6,000... more...
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Pet Safety and Protection Act Reintroduced The Pet Safety and Protection Act has been reintroduced in the 110th Congress as H.R. 1280 by Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Phillip English (R-PA) and as S. 714 by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI). This legislation would prohibit the sale of random source dogs and cats to laboratories... more...
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Consumption First? Wildlife Trade Policy in the United States It was hardly a hunt as six or more people, including two wealthy Americans, crashed through the dry brush somewhere in South Africa. The first victim, a female African lion, looked curiously at her followers as she was hit broadside by a bullet. The second, a large male lion,... more...
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Blinkered by Bowheads Inherently Inhumane Pro-whalers purport that whales can sustain commercial hunting, but many populations have not recovered to sustain hunting. All whales still face overwhelming odds for survival because of other threats from by-catch, toxic pollutants, climate change,... more...
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Behind the wall: Smithfield and the Victory of Illusion Farmer John's is a huge, odiferous slaughterhouse in Vernon, Calif. that is owned by Hormel Foods and supplies much of the pork consumed in the Los Angeles basin. Incongruously, however, the brick wall surrounding the plant is caparisoned with one of the world's largest murals... more...
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Bobcats: Protected Yet Persecuted If you spend time in the outdoors, more than likely they've seen you, even if you haven't seen them. Ranging from Canada to Mexico, the bobcat is an elusive and secretive predator who relies on intelligence and stealth to survive in the wild. Though rarely seen by people, this... more...
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This Land is Their Land: How Corporate Farms Threaten the World by Evaggelos Vallianatos Common Courage, 2006 ISBN: 9781567513585 315 pages; $19.95 Drawing from a variety of recent books and studies on corporate agribusiness, This Land Is Their Land shows that in such areas as agricultural policy, land ownership, agriculture financing... more...
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Cockfighting Bill Approved New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed a measure in March that will outlaw cockfighting in the state. The law takes effect on June 15, leaving Louisiana as the only state that continues to permit the cruel bloodsport. Animal protection advocates applauded Richardson's decision as a... more...
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Marked for Success? The US Department of Agriculture Livestock Behavior Research Unit's Dr. Heng-Wei Cheng and graduate researchers Rachel L. Dennis and Alan G. Fahey study the impact of identification on poultry welfare. Artificial marking and tagging for identification purposes is... more...
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Species-Specific Behaviors Dr. Jensvold makes observations about one of her chimpanzees from afar. Central Washington University researcher Mary Lee Jensvold, Ph.D. studies methods of promoting positive relationships between captive chimpanzees and their caregivers. The relationships... more...
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Turtle Farming's Dangerous US Impact Diamondback terrapin populations are declining in Maryland to satisfy demand in China. Turtles are a popular ingredient in many Chinese meals and Traditional Chinese Medicine products. Though a number of scientific studies document that it is impossible to kill a... more...
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TV's Heroes Save the Whales AWI's Susan Millward and the Whaleman Foundation's Jeff Pantukhoff (fourth and fifth from left) joined members of the cast of NBC's Heroes to launch the "Save the Whales Again!" campaign at a press conference in Los Angeles. The 1970s "Save the Whales" movement... more...
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Short Docking of Sheep: A Cruel Fad in the Show Ring The sheep industry is locked in a serious debate over the extreme docking of sheep tails for shows and livestock exhibitions. In the United States, shepherds typically cut lamb tails to a length of 1 or 2 inches to prevent wool maggots later in life. The practice of short docking for the... more...
