ANiMAL PETiTiONS CORNER: ViCTORiES 2013 by Alicia of WoodsEdge

Presented by Alicia of WoodsEdge

Another year has passed and while stories about animals in need of help and protection continue to spread, there have been many victories worthy of celebration in 2013, thanks to the tireless work of animal advocates from around the world who continue to speak up and take action on behalf of our furry, feathered and finned friends. 

Pets and Captive Wild Animals

Dutch the service dog was saved from euthanasia and returned home after biting a woman who beat him with a metal pole. Dutch was declared "vicious," but more than 308,000 people signed the petition calling out the label and asking for him to get a second chance after his owner asked for the public's help. 

Columbia banned wild animals in circuses. 

More than 350 dogs got a second chance after being rescued from what's believed to have been the second largest dog fighting bust in U.S. history. 

El Salvador banned wild animals in circuses. 

The USDA cracked down on puppy mills with new regulations that will require breeders who sell pets online and directly to the public to get a license and consent to inspections. 

The Toronto Zoo's three elephants were rescued and moved to the Performing Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) where they'll live out their days in warmth and peace. 

India banned wild animals in circuses. 

The White House came out with an official statement against breed discrimination and Breed Specific Legislation. 

More cities banned the retail sale of pets from breeders in pet stores, including San Diego and Burbank, CA, Phoenix, AZ, Toledo, OH, North Brunswick, Hoboken and Oceanport, NJ, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay and Margate, FL and Kingston, ON. 

  

Belgium banned wild animals in circuses. 

Michigan passed the toughest dog fighting legislation in the U.S., with convictions carrying penalties of up to 20 years in jail and fines of $100,000. 

China’s largest producer of bear bile extract withdrew its application to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and stopped plans to triple its production after outcry from Chinese citizens.

Texas banned gas chamber euthanasia. 

Los Angeles banned the use of bullhooks on circus elephants. 

West Hollywood banned the use of wild and exotic species in commercial displays and performances.

Oregon banned horse tripping at rodeos.  

Arkansas, Arizona and Texas increased maximum dog track suspensions and fines, while a greyhound injury reporting requirement was passed in Arizona and West Virginia agreed to a new cruelty policy that will crack down on abuse. 

Lawmakers in NYC voted unanimously to create a registry of animal abusers. 

The Nonhuman Rights Project filed the first of many groundbreaking lawsuits seeking to demolish the legal wall that separates humans from nonhuman animals. 

Farm Animals 

Ag gag laws were pushed in 11 states and defeated in all of them.  

California court upheld its foie gras ban. 

Amazon.com UK banned foie gras. 

A number of major food companies said no to gestation crates. Now more than 60 of the largest food companies are demanding more humane alternatives in their pork supply chains.

Coleman Company, an outdoor gear store, announced it will ban down and use only synthetic alternatives. 

India sets the stage to ban battery cages for egg-laying hens. 

In an unprecedented adventure, 1,150 rescued battery hens were flown across the country in a private jet from California to New York where they were taken in by nine rescues and sanctuaries that promised to offer them permanent homes or adopt them out as pets.  

Wildlife

California became the first state in the nation to ban lead ammunition, which will help protect endangered California condors and other wild animals from lead poisoning. 

The World Trade Organization upheld the European Union's ban on Canadian seal products, which was a major victory for seals and for our right to oppose products that we believe are cruel and unsustainable. 

NYC airports stopped killing snowy owls and vowed to adopt humane non-lethal alternatives to keep travelers safe. 

Though they're still in danger, gray wolves garnered  more than 1 million comments in favor of keeping them protected under the Endangered Species Act – the largest number of comments ever submitted on a federal decision involving endangered species. 

The European Union closed loopholes in its laws that effectively banned all shark finning. 

Following a legal battle, Puget Sound's southern resident orca whales will stay protected under the Endangered Species Act.  

Blue whale habitat was protected from oil exploration off the coast of Australia. 

The United Nations declared March 3 as World Wildlife Day. 

India banned shark finning.  

NOAA blocked the Georgia Aquarium's plan to import of 18 wild-caught beluga whales from Russia. 

Etsy banned endangered animal products. 

Manta rays and five species of sharks were listed under Appendix II of CITES, which will protect them from international trade. 

India banned dolphinariums.

A lawsuit led to a landmark agreement with the Obama Administration and the oil industry to protect marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico from seismic airguns, which are used in oil and gas exploration.

Polar bears in the U.S. kept their protection as a threatened species. 

The second herd of genetically pure bison was reintroduced to the Great Plains in Montana. 

Bobcats at Joshua Tree National Park got some protection from trappers. 

Animal Testing

The European Union banned animal testing for cosmetics. 

India banned animal testing for cosmetics.

Israel banned animal testing for cosmetics. 

Harvard University announced it will shut down the troubled New England Primate Research Center (NEPRC) by 2015. 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that most of the research chimpanzees that it owns have been “designated for retirement to the federal sanctuary system" and the Chimp Act Amendments were signed into law, which will restore funding needed for their retirement care. 

Thousands of owl monkeys in the Amazon were spared from research when their capture from the wild was banned. 

Plans for another beagle breeding facility were stopped in the UK, thanks in part to international outcry. 

China announced changes to its rules that require animal testing for cosmetics, which could eliminate a huge barrier for ethical companies who want to expand there.  

Researchers at Newcastle University developed a lab-grown, skin-testing model for chemicals, drugs, and cosmetics called Skimune, while researchers elsewhere made advances that could replace animals in labs using organ chips and 3D printing, among other things. 

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), the only military medical school in the U.S., announced it will stop using live animals in its training programs. 

Connecticut passed a law that will allow students to opt out of dissections and requires schools to provide them with an alternative. 

Philippine Airlines and United Airlines stop shipping primates for research

PLEASE
CONTiNUE 
TO TAKE ACTiONS 

ON BEHALF OF THE

ANiMALS iN 2014

THANK YOU !