Requests for Congressional Funding
The annual appropriations process for fiscal year 2010 will begin in October, offering an avenue to improve animal welfare by directing Congress to spend - or not spend - money in certain ways.
Please see the below articles about Government/Legal from past editions of the AWI Quarterly.
US Supreme Court to Rule on “Crush Videos”
At the request of the Soliciter General, the Supreme Court will review a case from the US Court of Appeals for the 3 rd Circuit in Philadelphia, PA, which overturned a conviction involving so-called “crush...
Silencing Maryland's Mute Swans
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced in June its intent to eradicate the state’s mute swan population by “reducing it to as low a level as can be achieved.” The DNR blames the...
Elephant Cruelty Under the Big Top: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Finally Exposed in Federal Court Trial
"The elephants I grew to know and love at the circus were beaten daily with sharp bull hooks and chained like prisoners for hours on end."
Arkansas Buckles Down on Animal Cruelty
With the recent passage of its felony animal cruelty law, Arkansas has shed its dubious distinction as one of only five states - including Idaho, Mississippi, and the Dakotas - still treating heinous acts of...
Obama Administration Restores Scientific Review to ESA
The Obama administration is to be congratulated for its restoration of a key scientific review provision of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Circus Finally Exposed in Federal Trial
The Animal Welfare Institute’s case against Feld Entertainment, Inc., the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, finally went to trial in February.