Funeral for a Friend

Seth Victor Most days you can read the news and find headlines about a tragic human death, but you will seldom, if ever, read about the daily mass slaughter of farmed animals, or even the daily deaths of shelter dogs and cats. I was thus pleasantly surprised this morning to find a story on the front [...]

Toro!

Seth Victor Progressive news today, as the Spanish region of Catalonia voted 68 to 55 to ban bullfighting. The ban will take effect in January 2012.  This is the first such ban in mainland Spain, a country where the “sport” has a long tradition. This decision is a huge development, proving that animal abuse should not be tolerated simply [...]

Conference on Alternatives to Animal Research

David Cassuto Interesting conference on animal research and alternatives August 26-27th in Washington D.C.   Some skinny: Fifty years after the development of the key model for the refinement, reduction, and replacement of animals in research, often referred to as the “3 Rs,” The George Washington University Medical Center and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, [...]

Groovebar Job Opening

David Cassuto So, if you were looking for a pretty darn cool job, this one might be it. Director of International Conservation Location: Washington, D.C. Supervisor: Senior Vice President for Conservation Programs Position Description This management position requires substantial knowledge of international wildlife conservation policy and practice, including marine wildlife conservation; experience in the negotiation [...]

Real American Hero

Seth Victor Megan Coffee is a superhero. She is a doctor from New Jersey who has been giving free medical care to the people in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, and is the only American doctor still working at Haiti’s largest hospital. With no income for her work, she gets by on the kindness and hospitality of the [...]

Come Fly with Me

Seth Victor Dogs are property, so it makes sense that they are shipped as cargo by most major airlines. As aggravating as it is for the airline to misplace your luggage, it must be soul-wrenching to find that your companion has died during her trip. Yet since May of 2005, 122 dogs have died in [...]

Victory for the Horses?

Seth Victor New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is a Republican governor in a traditionally blue state, and an unapologetic brash mover and shaker in Trenton, judiciary and legislature be damned.  He has been making headlines this week following his announcement that the State will essentially take over Atlantic City and other entertainment facilities. This move is intriguing for a [...]

New Jersey Bear Hunt Approved

Seth Victor New Jersey has been talking about reinstating a bear hunt for some time, and it received final approval on Wednesday. The effort to curb the bear population is not dissimilar to other attempts to kill large mammals. The difference is that while ranchers have been a major supporter of wolf hunts under the questionable [...]

U of Maryland Clinic Wins Important Procedural Victory in Lawsuit Against Perdue

David Cassuto A while back, I blogged on the attempt by members of the Maryland legislature to strip funding for the University of Maryland Environmental Law Clinic because of the clinic’s lawsuit (representing numerous plaintiffs) against Perdue and some local chicken producers.  The suit arose from the chicken operation’s  runoff  (allegedly) befouling the Chesapeake Bay.  [...]

More On the “Us or Them” Canard

David Cassuto From the Interesting Summer Reading Desk comes this piece on the persistent and ongoing failure of predator eradication as a management tool and on the continued use and advocacy of said failed method throughout the country.  Here, with a hat tip to HumaneSpot.org, is the abstract for “Us or Them” from Conservation Magazine:

“Sex, Gender and Species” Conference at Wesleyan University

David Cassuto This interdisciplinary conference looks like it will be mighty good. Wesleyan University will be hosting a conference called “Sex, Gender and Species” on February 25 and 26, 2011. The purpose of this conference is to foreground the relations between feminist and animal studies and to examine the real and theoretical problems that are [...]

Gassed Geese and Airport Safety

David Cassuto A few days ago, agents of the U.S. Department of Agriculture descended on Prospect Park in Brooklyn where they rounded up 400 Canada geese and gassed them to death.  The geese were molting and so could not fly.  The reason for this mass killing was ostensibly airport safety.  You see, Prospect Park lies [...]

Proposed Ban on Pet Sales in San Francisco

David Cassuto I used to live in San Francisco and, in addition to the burritos, one of the things I miss most (did I mention the burritos?) is the degree of civic involvement and the public’s willingness to take on cutting edge issues.  To whit: the city is considering banning the sale of all companion [...]

Another Veganism Hit Piece

David Cassuto I tend to agree with most of the commentary I’ve seen so far on this hit piece on veganism in the Chronicle of Higher Education.  Harold Fromm’s poor reasoning and almost brazen ignorance of the subject matter render the essay undeserving of a thorough critique. What does merit critiquing is the Chronicle’s decision [...]

AETA 4 Case Dismissed

David Cassuto The first and so far only case yet brought under AETA (the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act) has been dismissed.  It seems that the government did little more in its indictment than recite the statute and state that the defendants had violated it.  The Constitution requires more.  Without a clearly defined set of allegations, [...]

Pennsylvania Bar Institute Animal Law Conference

David Cassuto A conference and CLE opportunity of interest, particularly but not only for those in Pennsylvania: 7th Annual Animal Law Conference > Register now or learn more Now in its seventh year, PBI is pleased to present this popular seminar which continues to attract new and curious attendees each year and which has a [...]

Dog Racing is No More in New Hampshire

David Cassuto Greyhound racing is all done in New Hampshire.  Governor Lynch has signed House Bill 630, which prohibits dog racing in the Granite State.  Huzzahs all around.  Read all about it here, here and here.

Carnism vs. Ovo-Lacto Vegetarianism

David Cassuto Interesting colloquy over at Dorf on Law between Melanie Joy (author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows:  An Introduction to Carnism) and Professor Sherry Colb.  The discussion deals with the respective locations on the ethical continuum of  “carnism” and lacto-ovo vegetarianism.  The colloquy is entitled “Part I,” so there [...]

Some Further Thoughts on Ohio

David Cassuto I’m back in the northern hemisphere, missing the tropical juices and proximity to the beach but enjoying my family (human and non), my friends, and my deck with its accompanying martinis.  I’ve also been pondering the Ohio deal I blogged about before getting on the plane last week.  As you may recall, the [...]

A Deal in Ohio — But at What Price?

David Cassuto In Ohio, HSUS, the ag industry and the state government have made a deal.  In exchange for HSUS not supporting a fall ballot initiative on animal welfare issues, the Ohio government and animal industry will take action on exotic animal importation, veal calf housing (they will “transition to group housing”), other livestock issues, [...]