On December 11, 2009 the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approved S. 373, a bill "to include constrictor snakes of the species Python genera as an injurious animal" under the Lacey Act, thus prohibiting them from being imported into the US or shipped in interstate commerce.
A truly shocking study published in the journal Science in September reveals a net loss of nearly 3 billion birds in North America since 1970—a 29 percent drop in under 50 years. This precipitous population decline is a clear warning for us about the serious impacts borne by wildlife from human activities, including habitat destruction, artificial lighting, pesticide use, and climate change.
As juvenile birds fledge the nest, and hundreds of species of birds begin their annual migration to their winter habitats, this time of year presents the perfect opportunity to start protecting birds from one of the deadliest threats they face: wi
The second edition of Stress and Animal Welfare describes the current understanding of how stress in humans and animals is connected to their welfare. It provides information that is essential for understanding how to assess impacts of various stressors on animals and will be helpful to individuals and entities responsible for the welfare of animals in a variety of settings—whether it be research, exhibition, production, companion, sport, or wildlife.
"The terms 'tress' and 'distress' are often used in the scientific literature but usually without a definition. If you use these terms, how do you define them? What are the signs that tell you that an animal is stressed or distressed?" (Reinhardt)
"I use the term 'dystress' for stressors that an animal cannot cope with physiologically.1 This situation is indicated primarily by persistently raised corticosteroid levels and, more importantly, an increased number of corticosteroid receptors.
The 2020 “A Voice for Animals” contest received over 500 entries from all over the world, including submissions from Nepal, Mexico, Singapore, and India.
COVID-19—the most recent example of a zoonotic pathogen causing a global pandemic—continues to claim human lives, even as vaccines and other strategies return us to some semblance of normalcy.
A recent study that surveyed attitudes regarding red wolves found that, while a broad majority of the population liked and supported the wolves, a small minority of poachers is driving the species toward extinction in the wild.
A new study published in the journal Ecography (Vynne et al., 2022) identifies key opportunities for improving ecosystem health through restoration of large mammal assemblages across terrestrial ecoregions.
A recent study published in Cambridge University’s Animal Welfare journal (Mood et al., 2023) estimates the number of farmed fishes slaughtered for food in global aquaculture from 1990 to 2019.
According to a study by behavioral ecologists at the University of Sussex, UK, and published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology, elephants who lost family members to traumatic culling operations decades ago appear to suffer lifelong social impairment.
In 1995, Robert Small and Douglas DeMaster calculated annual survivorship rates (ASRs) in captive orcas and compared these results to the ASRs of wild orcas living in the Pacific Northwest of North America.
At least 20 ships carrying hundreds of thousands of animals were stalled in and around the Suez Canal for several days this March when the Ever Given (one of the world’s largest cargo ships) ran aground and wedged itself diagonally across the canal, blocking all traffic. Transport of live animals can be precarious—especially when they are being transported great distances on ships, which must carry all necessary supplies and food to support them.
