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Dedicated to knowing and supporting laws and lawmakers that benefit animals.
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Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
After numerous battles in lower courts, the National Pork Producers Council and others finally convinced the Supreme Court to hear their challenge to California’s Proposition 12. That state initiative, passed by a powerful majority of California voters, mandates that no producer may sell products sourced from pigs or chickens into the state unless the producers ensure certain humane standards are maintained for the animals.
No fair, said the plaintiffs—time and again, up and down judicial ladders across the country. And time and again, courts rebuked the challenges and upheld the right of Californians to dictate what kinds of products may be sold within the state’s borders.
Fortunately for animals—and for citizens in the several other states where such requirements exist—the Supreme Court dealt the ultimate lethal blow to their arguments, and Prop 12 stands. The victory for animals and for the people who care about them cannot be understated.
In this episode of the Animal Wellness podcast, host Joseph Grove talks to Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, and Kate Schultz Barton, the group’s senior attorney. Pacelle was key in developing Prop 12, its predecessors in the state, and similar ballot initiatives across the country. Shultz Barton, along with colleague Scott Edwards, submitted amicus briefs to the Court, making legal arguments some of which were adopted by the Court in the winning opinion.
Pacelle and Barton Schultz find little time to celebrate, however, explaining that the Pork Producers Council can be expected to turn to Congress for relief.
The Animal Wellness podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and by influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
Our special guest is filmmaker Ashley Avis, whose new WILD BEAUTY: MUSTANG SPIRIT OF THE WEST is available for pre-order on iTunes after earning multiple awards from film festivals across the country. The release date is May 12, 2023. You can watch the trailer here.
The Winterstone Pictures production has been called "a sweeping, immersive journey into the world of wild horses that illuminates both the profound beauty and desperate plight they currently face in the Western United States.”
Avis and her crew went on a multi-year expedition to uncover the truth before wild horses disappear forever. What she found is a tragic conspiracy to displace the horses so private-sector ranchers can co-opt public lands for cheap grazing for animals for commerce. The horses, once rounded up, often end up in the slaughter pipeline.
It’s capitalism and government collaboration against public interest at their worst, executed with maniacal chases, weapons, black helicopters and a far-reaching campaign of disinformation with little journalistic scrutiny to keep any of it in check.
The documentary features two great friends of the Animal Wellness podcast: Scott Beckstead, director of campaigns for Animal Wellness Action and perhaps the leading national authority on wild horses, and our former executive director, Marty Irby, who was personally recognized by Queen Elizabeth for his work on behalf of horses.
The Animal Wellness podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and by influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.
Visit the website for Winterstone Pictures here. Learn more about the nonprofit set up by Avis to champion wild horses here.
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Tuesday May 02, 2023
Tuesday May 02, 2023
Jewel Johnson joins our podcast to talk about the emotional lives of fighting roosters, whom she rescues from seizures at busted cockfights and other surrenders. She does this through her 30-acre sanctuary in Colorado called Danzig's Roost.
Contrary to expectations, the animals are incredibly docile with people and even exhibit bonding behaviors with humans more typically associated with dogs and cats. Johnson talks about the merciless culling of "undesirable" fighters, and how a fully trained rooster—while being gentle with other birds and even hens—loses the ability to be socialized with other roosters.
Johnson also takes listeners inside the culture of cockfights, finding among the people who fight the animals a devotion to God and family that is perniciously at odds with the concomitant belief that a divine grant of dominion over animals gives them the right to sentence the animals to death for the purpose of entertainment.
You don't know fighting roosters or cockfighting until you listen to Johnson's story of love, sacrifice and hope for these misunderstood, exploited animals.
Rooster Sanctuary at Danzig's Roost on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rooster.sanctuary
Rooster Sanctuary at Danzig's Roost's website: http://www.roostersanctuary.org
You can read about the FIGHT Act and its critical improvements to anti-cockfighting law here: https://bit.ly/3oJKrBx
Read our story about Johnson's work here: https://bit.ly/3ZEyFVR
The Animal Wellness Podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove.
Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Saturday Apr 29, 2023
Saturday Apr 29, 2023
In this episode, author Julie Marshall and host Joseph Grove talk with Ursula Goodenough about her new release, the second edition of "The Sacred Depths of Nature: How Life Has Emerged and Evolved." The book provides a brief but powerful commingling of science and spirituality to help readers more deeply connect with animals, plants and the earth herself.
The book is available here: https://bit.ly/3L7gSS2. More information about the book can be found here: www.sacreddepthsofnature.com.
The Animal Wellness Podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and influencing businesses to create a more humane economy.
Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
Wednesday Apr 12, 2023
How far is too far when it comes to animal advocacy? In this episode of the Animal Wellness Podcast, two veteran activists with somewhat different approaches discuss the best tactics to effect change for animals.
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, often works quietly and behind the scenes, nudging the levers of government and commerce to create improvements. The author of two New York Times bestsellers on animals believes in applying reason and the appeals of logic and decency to convert those who put or leave animals in harm’s way.
Donny Moss, however, is just as apt to use a bullhorn as a keyboard. The founder of Their Turn is known for taking the battle to the streets, using video, social media and in-person confrontation to put pressure on businesses, consumers and even corporate board members to change minds.
The two review their successful collaboration on the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign, which recently has had major wins in the fight to convince Nike, Puma and Diadora to stop selling soccer cleats made from the skins of murdered kangaroos. The campaign is now targeting hold-outs Adidas and New Balance. You can sign the petition here.
The Animal Wellness Podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the show.
Donations to www.animalwellnessaction.org make the show possible.
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
In this episode of the Animal Wellness Podcast, the team says farewell to Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. Marty has been a guest on virtually every show and served the organizations and the podcast since their inceptions.
One of Marty’s greatest passions is improving the lives of horses—Tennessee Walkers, Thoroughbreds, wild horses and others. He and Wayne Pacelle, president of the non-profits, update several campaigns being waged on the behalf of America’s equines.
- Veterans for Mustangs Act. This bill would fund the deployment of U.S. Armed Services veterans to the West to help sterilize wild stallions, reducing the perceived need of the Bureau of Land Management to conduct abusive, disruptive—and unnecessary—round-ups. Read more here: https://animalwellnessaction.org/bipartisan-veterans-for-mustangs-act-introduced
- Horse Slaughter. Animal Wellness Action is hard at work to prohibit the export of U.S. horses to Canada and Mexico, where they are slaughtered for overseas human consumption and other purposes. Read more here: https://animalwellnessaction.org/landmark-investigation-into-trafficking-slaughter-of-american-horses-to-canada-mexico
- Prevent All Soring Tactics Act. This legislation aims to stiffen penalties and bolster enforcement of existing ones against the use of caustic chemicals and sharp implements to create the infamous “big lick” exaggerated gait with Tennessee Walking horses.
- Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. After some changes to language in the law, this milestone advance against doping appears set to clear legal challenges and safeguard thousands of racing horses. Read more at our dedicated website: hisawatchdog.org.
Irby also discusses his appearance in the award-winning “Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the American West,” a powerful documentary about wild horses set for national release next month. You can watch the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/746037325
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Thursday Feb 23, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Australia has its kangaroos. China, its beloved pandas. In the United States, we have horses. We love them. We revere them. Children delight in seeing them. We cheer them on when they race around tracks from sea to shining sea.
But there’s a rancid underbelly to our treatment of horses, and a new investigative report, “U.S. Live Exports Fade as Foreign Demand Abates | An Investigative Report on Horses and Other Equines Sent to Slaughter in Canada and Mexico,” looks into it. It was published by Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy and Animals’ Angels. The results are by turns stomach-churning and heart-breaking.
The dark side is this: While it is illegal to slaughter horses in the U.S., it remains legal–and profitable–to sell horses for transport into Canada and Mexico for that purpose. Yes, as foreign demand dries up, fewer horses are so destined. But with about 20,000 horses a year still sent to the kill plants, we have a long way to go.
Retired race horses. Spent carriage horses. Unwanted companion horses. Any one of them may end up thrust into an overcrowded and often uncovered holding pen, shoved into an overcrowded and sweltering truck, and finally corralled through a maze of gates until the end finally comes.
“We documented that cruelty goes hand-in-hand with horse slaughter. Every step along the way,” said report co-author Sonja Meadows of Animals’ Angels. “It's really like somebody flips a switch. The minute a horse is unloaded at the loading dock of an auction and labeled a kill horse, the minute that determination is made, everything that horse experiences from then on will be dramatically different and completely inhumane.”
Meadows is joined in this podcast by Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, and Scott Beckstead, director of campaigns for the organizations. They review the findings of the report with host Joseph Grove. Shown are some images from it as well as some video that was captured along the way. Notice: they are not pleasant to view.
Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action, provides a legislative update at the conclusion of the interview.
You can watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/QsQhaMMlmMA
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Friday Dec 30, 2022
Friday Dec 30, 2022
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Passing the Big Cat Public Safety Act
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Passing the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act
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Passing the FDA Modernization Act
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Passing the Reducing Animal Testing Act
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Helping craft and pass a fix to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, so it could survive a court challenge.