This page will be updated as we find more 2010 victories.
This is ONLY some of the thousands of 2010 victories for animals.
See our All-Creatures.org weekly eNewsletters where EVERY WEEK we included links to GOOD NEWS FOR ANIMALS.
Also see Some 2010 Victories for Animals.
Bolivia's ban on the use of animals in circuses meant that new homes were needed for many animals.
Animal Defenders International (ADI) has been undertaking an operation with the authorities to seize every animal from all of the circuses that remain following the ban. We currently have in our care 17 lions and there may be more to come – the biggest lion rescue ever.
We have also rescued six monkeys, a coati mundi, a deer and a horse – these animals have been successfully re-homed or returned to the wild in Bolivia. Other new animals in our care this year include Baloo, Betty and Boo, three ex-lab monkeys saved from a European laboratory; Tilin, the baboon we saved from a circus in Bolivia earlier this year and now in our care in the UK Daktari, Bambek, Simba and Camba - four ex-circus lions, we moved to California in May who now roam a massive ADI enclosure.
Then there was Orlandito and his family of capuchin monkeys, snatched from the wild by the pet trade, but finally returned to the forests of Colombia by ADI this year.
And we still care for old friends like Sarah and Caesar the rescued Portuguese circus lions; and Toto the chimpanzee we saved from a circus in Chile and took home to Africa.
Shark-fin soup is a delicacy that sometimes comes at a cruel cost. Hacking the fins off sharks and dumping them back in the ocean is banned in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, but the technique continues off the West Coast. On Monday, however, the Senate passed a groundbreaking shark conservation bill that bans the practice in the Pacific, closing a loophole that has allowed for an explosion in the often-barbaric practice as demand for shark fin soup skyrockets in Asia.
Under past law, clothing companies were not required to disclose whether an item features real fur if the fur was valued at $150 or less, which is often the case with fur-trimmed apparel. In fact, an estimated 13 percent of fur items sold in the U.S. fall into this unlabeled category, allowing consumers to buy them in warm, blissful ignorance. Oftentimes, people purchased dog and cat fur without knowing it.
Since the 1950s, any fur garment sold in the U.S. had to include a label indicating the species of animal used and the country of origin, but there's a gaping loophole in the current law that excludes fur-trimmed garments if the value of the fur is $150 or less. At recent pelt prices, that means a jacket could have fur on its collar or cuffs from 30 rabbits ($5 each), nine chinchillas ($16 each), three foxes ($50 each), or three raccoon dogs ($45 each), and be sold without a label indicating the fur species.
The new Bill requires real fur to be labeled as such, no matter how much it costs. This will inform people about the kind of animals their "fur" used to belong to.
In 2010 we stopped the University of Guelph from killing purpose bred beagles after they were used to test the proficiency spay/neuter of immigrant veterinarians seeking Canadian licenses. They are now adopted out.
And we have seen the closure, in 2010, of the same university’s animal facility and, as the year comes to a close, have saved a herd of sheep...about 140 animals, all to be placed in a safe home.
There was no culling of cormorants at Presqu’ile Provincial park...thousands of nesting birds saved...thanks to our efforts, and while we didn’t get a complete closure of the culling, we did get the number of cormorants that CAN be culled reduced from about five thousand to five hundred maximum under conditions that will probably make even that number unlikely.
In Toronto it’s true that we’ve prevented any cormorant culling, but what I think is significant for this year ending is that our ideas on encouraging cormorants out of the trees (where they cause what are perceived as problems) to nest on the ground have worked, and signs have been erected declaring areas cormorant protection zones.
We have continued to hold the line against any lethal culling of Canada geese anywhere in the country...the only culls that have occurred, in earlier years, we got stopped.
Surely one of the major victories was with regard the Hay Island grey seal herd. The province of Nova Scotia was poised to allow a major cull, and my colleagues literally talked them out of it. It didn’t happen. Maybe preventing bad things does not constitute a victory to some folks, but it sure does to me.
We have had catastrophic culls of coyotes in Canada, but on the positive side we got support for not culling them in several urban centres in Ontario, including Windsor and Toronto (enlightened mayors help, bless them). The proposed cull of deer at the Sifton Blog, in London Ontario, has not happened, ether, and so far so good for Hamilton.
When animal protectionists are invited to China, and report support, I’m happy. When a politician’s choice to show his family coated in fur becomes a news event, I’m heartened. We can’t be complacent, but we can and must celebrate the fact that here and there, now and then, we do have victories and there is no such thing as a small victory...they are all important.
We acquired three acres of land directly behind Courtney and Whoop-Whoop’s gibbon house this past June. The new property gives us buffer space and room for expansion.
We're sending year-end grants to about 20 overseas activist groups and primate rescue centers, in countries from Peru to Sierra Leone to Thailand. These organizations provide homes for primates rescued from the hands of cruel animal traffickers or thoughtless owners. They also teach local residents about the importance of primate protection.
Two months after Animals Asia released a damning report on the cruelty of wild-animal performances in Chinese zoos and safari parks, the Chinese government’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development ordered zoos to end the use of animals in abusive performances. The directive, issued on 26 October 2010, also calls on zoos to improve the living conditions of their captive animals. Please see the full story here.
A new survey by Animals Asia has found that 93 per cent of Vietnam's traditional medicine practitioners are opposed to bear bile farming and 76 per cent have never prescribed bear bile. More than 150 Vietnamese traditional medicine practitioners participated in the survey. We were thrilled too, to have our Patron, Born Free's Virginia McKenna (pictured left with Jill) join us in Vietnam to highlight the plight of the bears there.
Over the past two months, our China education team has been working overtime, spreading the message of animal welfare and the plight of bears on bile farms in cities as far afield as Chengdu, Shanghai, Beijing and Xi’an. Our staff held more than 10 presentations in 10 schools and universities, including both Beijing and Shanghai Chinese Traditional Medicine Universities and Xian Foreign Language University. They also visited Shanghai Children's Hospital and, in Xian, hosted a presentation by Chinese superstar DJ Linbai that was attended by almost 3,000 students.
We saved endangered sea turtles in the Gulf.
We protected polar bear habitat in the Arctic.
We defeated a proposal to overturn the international ban on commercial whaling.
We celebrated the 5th annual Endangered Species Day.
We defended the Endangered Species Act from anti-wolf forces.
I am pleased to let you know the BOCA brand will be eliminating eggs in all of its products by the end of this year. We anticipate all BOCA products will be egg free in 2010.
In the US, the Obama Administration banned new offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast.
Also in the US, Congress passed the Shark Conservation Act, making shark finning illegal and establishing the U.S. as a world leader in shark protection.
Belize became the third country in the world to ban all forms of trawling, one of the most destructive fishing techniques.
In Chile, the government ended the proposed construction of an enormous coastal coal-fired power plant that would have irreparably harmed one of the jewels of the oceans, Punta de Choros, home to 80 percent of the world’s Humboldt penguins.
Once being used for "testing" in New Jersey, 118 beagles left small cages and stepped onto grass for the first time Friday at the Pets Alive no-kill animal shelter on the July 4th weekend, 2010. The dogs were among 120 taken from the Aniclin Preclinical Services in Warren County, N.J., after Aniclin's parent pharmaceutical company couldn't pay its bills. WAR had fought for control of the 175 Aniclin animals — including 55 primates — and coordinated their release to animal rescue agencies.
NASA canceled its plans to irradiate dozens of monkeys in cruel radiation tests after a year of vigorous campaigning and more than 100,000 e-mails and calls from PETA supporters.
and subjected to painful procedures without being given proper anesthesia.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development changed the requirements (pending formal approval) for a common toxicity test as a result of PETA's efforts. The move will save a minimum of 1,200 animals—and as many as 2,400—every time this frequently required test is conducted.
suffering inflicted on animals used in the exotic-skins trade.
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled to halt the National Marine Fisheries Service’s killing of federally protected sea lions! For three years, IDA campaigned against the killing of sea lions in the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.
We have provided mahout training and foot care, both important aspects of sound elephant welfare in parts of Thailand, India and Nepal.
We have evaluated captive elephant facilities, critiqued how trainers and mahouts train and care for their elephants and shortly will travel to India to determine the feasibility of proposed elephant sanctuaries for retired zoo elephants.
In September, HRC launched an exciting graphing tool that allows users to compare survey results over time and by key demographic groups. The Animal Tracker tool makes the study's results more accessible and gives advocates an accurate picture of the attitudes and behavior of U.S. adults. The Animal Tracker is a collaborative project and we are currently seeking sponsors for Wave 4, which will be completed in the first quarter of 2011.
Our research website, Your HumaneSpot.org, provides the world’s most comprehensive database of opinion and behavior research relating to animals. In 2010 we added more than 300 new research citations and external resources, more than 50 new blog posts, and we updated six of our eight research primers. We also grew our user base by more than 65%; advocates working on the gamut of animal issues rely on HumaneSpot.org to inform and improve their life-saving work.
Key Indicators Study Moves Ahead. HRC officially launched our “Key Indicators Study” in 2009 to collect and analyze a broad set of quantitative data to measure the state of animal protection in the U.S. Thanks to input from the study’s sponsors and others, as of December 2010 we have nearly identified the final indicators and begun collecting baseline data. A website with results will be launched in the spring of 2011.
The Grassroots Research Fund. We launched this new fund in November so that small animal groups can gain access to research to understand their audiences, evaluate their impact, etc. Many small groups need such research but cannot afford it, even with HRC’s discounted fees. The Grassroots Research Fund levels the playing field for these small groups doing big work for animals. Please donate to the fund before end of year and have your donation matched!
Carol Glasser Joined the Team. In April, HRC hired a new Research Director who has become an incredibly valuable member of the team. Carol Glasser is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. She has worked on a variety of research projects and also works on animal issues at the grassroots level. Feel free to drop Carol a note to say hi or ask a research question!
Supporting Our Clients. The accomplishments listed above are in addition to HRC’s core function of helping advocates carry out research projects to evaluate and improve their programs and campaigns. HRC provides discounted consulting services, written reports, presentations, training, and other resources exclusively for animal and environmental advocates. In 2010 HRC helped 12 clients with research projects, including four pro bono clients that we assisted without charge.
In Costa Rica, protected irreplaceable nests, released more than 60,000 hatchlings into the sea, and halted threatened tourism development on a leatherback nesting beach inside Las Baulas National Marine Park.
In 2010, Vegan Outreach distributed over 2 million booklets -- 1.1 million of these handed directly to college students in all 50 states (and Canada) and 360,577 of these individually handed to Warped Tour attendees all across the country.
In 2010, Bon Appétit, which manages thousands of university food accounts, found that the number of collegiate vegetarians has increased by more than 50% since 2006. They also found that the number of vegans has more than doubled!
Last month, ALDF filed its third lawsuit in Kentucky over deplorable shelter conditions, this time in Clay County. This so-called animal shelter -- a place that should offer hope and sanctuary to animals in need -- is more like a filthy prison, where many, if not most, of the dogs are housed in one large, open-air pen that does not protect them from the elements.
In June, ALDF came to the rescue of endangered sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico who were being burned alive after the massive oil spill. With a coalition of three other environmental and animal protection organizations, we filed a lawsuit that forced British Petroleum and the Coast Guard to allow animal advocates to identify and rescue the sea turtles before cleanup workers ignited fires that trapped these magnificent turtles in blazes that shot hundreds of feet into the sky.
In February, the City of West Hollywood CA passed an ordinance, drafted by ALDF working with local activists, effectively banning the sale of animals bred at "puppy mills."
At a recent hearing in Georgia convened by a state senator to discuss revisions to the state's animal cruelty law, lawmakers heard how animal abuse figures into domestic violence. An ASI colleague, AniCare trainer, and domestic violence expert testified that the existing law allows some domestic violence perpetrators to escape felony charges. She urged the legislature to strengthen the psychological assessment provisions, and to permit cross-reporting between animal protection and human services agencies.
Testimony by an AniCare-trained therapist was featured in a hearing in Connecticut on the relationship between animal abuse and other violent behavior. The hearing was broadcast locally, and a therapist who treats children at a juvenile facility in that state contacted me to find out about incorporating AniCare Child into his work.
When officials in New Mexico solicited bids on a contract to provide comprehensive services to combat animal abuse, our AniCare program was included as part of the services that must be provided. As a result, Animal Protection of New Mexico, an advocacy group with whom we've partnered in the past, received funding to provide three AniCare trainings in the upcoming year.
The Mayor of Baltimore formed an Anti-Animal Abuse Task Force in the wake of several horrific incidents of animal abuse by juveniles, and the growing scourge of dog-fighting. The Task Force released its final report this summer. While we were gratified to learn that an entire section of the report was devoted to AniCare and the report recommended that the AniCare model be used in the city, the report drove home to us the work that lies ahead of us...to bring AniCare and Rapid Response to all communities that need it.
Saved the lives of 528 whales because of our interventions against the Japanese whaling fleet during Operation Waltzing Matilda.
Cut the nets and freed 800 bluefin tuna that are endangered and were illegally caught in the Mediterranean during Operation Blue Rage.
Interfered with the killing of pilot whales in the Faeroe Islands during Operation Grindstop.
Installed a surveillance system in the Galapagos that enables the Ecuadorian police and the Galapagos Park rangers to monitor all vessel traffic in the National Park Marine Reserve.
Put a long-term crew of "Cove Guardians" on the ground in Taiji, Japan to bring constant global attention to the dolphin slaughter.
Flew into no-fly zones in the Gulf of Mexico to expose negligence and lies by BP after the oil spill.
In June of 2010 LCA did an undercover investigation into a Hawaiian Puppy Mill. As a result of the investigation several dogs were rescued. After watching our undercover video a State Senator vowed to introduce legislation in 2011 to ban puppy mills in Hawaii. You can put a link to our fairly raw video.
History was made in Los Angeles on July 14th. In the biggest circus demonstration the city has ever seen. Holding graphic signs and colorful banners and wearing elephant costumes and symbolic chains, 300 activists encircled the Staples Center to protest the opening night of Ringling. Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Hamleys toy store in London for cancelling live penguin and reindeer displays at its store on Regent Street. According to a news source, Hamleys, a world-famous toy shop, cancelled plans to have a penguin pool with live penguins and real reindeer in the store during the holiday season. Penguins and reindeer belong in the wild with their families and not between puzzles and electronic gadgets.
The noble Sir Lancelot (beautiful horse) who was confiscated from his abusive owner but facing euthanasia at the local animal shelter. He was considered unadoptable because he was too thin and sick. So we brought him home, and look at him today.
Many special dogs at the Harrison County dog pound. We responded to the crisis at the Harrison County dog pound where dogs were living and sleeping in the snow, suffering frostbite and other medical conditions. We rescued all the remaining dogs, found them fabulous forever homes, and are now working to ensure that no dog ever sleeps in the snow there again.
Holy (cow) and Madonna, two ex-veal calves who are now healthy, happy lap-cows.
Today, these special individuals are all living happy, healthy lives. These animals along with our other 130 rescued cows, horses, pigs, goats, hens, and other animals are also at work helping at-risk and special needs children to recover from their own emotional wounds. It is truly miraculous what happens here almost every day.
Our annual report taken from USDA papers shows that, despite a 1% increase in the US population, the number of animals killed for food did not increase, and the number remains down substantially from a few years ago. This demonstrates that both total numbers of animals killed as well as animals killed per capita are going down.
A survey to our 25,000+ Meatout Mondays subscribers shows that a full 80% of readers have reduced their intake of animal products (with many going fully vegan) because of the sustained resource of Meatout Mondays.
The movement’s largest annual animal rights gathering grew again this year, with over 1,000 attendees of the Animal Rights 2010 National Conference, which included presentations by Representative Dennis Kucinich, Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur, PETA vice-president Bruce Friedrich, and 90 other speakers.
FARM helped take veganism into the mainstream with nearly 2 million views of our pro-vegan TV ads, bus ads and billboards across the country, and huge media attention following our Michigan Meatout proclamation.
The Alamogordo chimpanzees will have a happy new year. They won’t be moved to a Texas facility where they would have been subjected to invasive experiments.
For more than a year, PCRM has worked to block NASA’s planned radiation experiments on live squirrel monkeys. With your help, the experiments have been canceled.
More than 10,000 of you contacted the University of Massachusetts Medical School and urged its dean to end the school’s deadly use of pigs in trauma training courses. He listened.
In 2010 Action for Animals filled 7,206 requests for vegan information packs. These packs were requested by and mailed to people in all 50 U.S. states, in every Canadian province, and in every state in Australia.
In 2010 Action for Animals distributed 261,575 pieces of literature.
In 2009, SHARK knocked out the Straustown pigeon shoot location. In 2010, SHARK knocked out the Pike Township pigeon shoot location and the Philadelphia Gun Club pigeon shoot location.
The Erdman Sportsman’s Club, a site for two pigeon shoots annually, is facing dozens of criminal charges thanks to SHARK’s video documentation, and the future of more shoots at Erdman is extremely doubtful. If Erdman shoots again, SHARK will gather more documentation for use in more criminal trials.
As in past years, SHARK activists exposed rodeo animal abuse and deaths from one end of the country to the other. Due to SHARK’s documenting and exposing rodeos nationwide, rodeos are losing money, losing sponsors and many no longer exist.
Once again, SHARK has created another evolutionary tool to be used in our fight against animal cruelty. Introducing “Operation Angel” - remote control aircraft with a video camera to expand the fight against animal abuse in new and previously thought impossible ways. Animal abusers can run, but they can no longer hide.
SHARK launched www.CruelCelebrities.com <http://www.CruelCelebrities.com> to expose music and movie stars when they promote or commit terrible acts of animal violence.
SHARK exposed Troy Gentry, of the country music duo Montgomery Gentry, for the horrendous slaughter of a tame bear inside a small electrified enclosure. We waged and won a three-year battle (including a victorious lawsuit) against the US Fish and Wildlife Service that forced the federal government to turn over the videotape of Gentry's canned hunt killing. The YouTube video we created and released soared across the internet and media, such as shows like Inside Edition, and caused so much grief for Gentry that he issued an apology.
SHARK exposed Miranda Lambert, a supposed animal lover, kills animals for fun, including a small alligator. She even rubbed her hands in his blood! She thought she was being cool, but SHARK showed just how cold-blooded she is in a YouTube video that caught the attention of the National Enquirer, which ran a full page story on her blood-lust.
NJ Governor Chris Christie traded a bear hunt for electoral support - and SHARK exposed it.
Our YouTube account hit 15 million views, making us the 9th most viewed nonprofit on YouTube!
Arbonne pulls sponsorship of the National Finals Steer Roping after SHARK campaign.
Worked with lawyers and humane law enforcement officers to prosecute gun clubs and individuals involved in live pigeon shoots.
Began taking legal steps against Lee Marvin Greenly. Greenly sold Troy Gentry Cubby, the tame bear that was mercilessly slaughtered. We want Greenly’s animal exhibitor's license to be revoked by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Provided evidence to local prosecutors in Minnesota to pursue animal cruelty charges against stock contractors who committed animal abuse at a county rodeo.
The Red Cross demanded withdrawal of their name from the sign at the Erdman Sportsman Association Club after SHARK revealed to them about the pigeon shoots that take place there.
Conducted election law investigations against the two PA District Attorneys who have crushed all animal cruelty citations against pigeon shoots and uncovered links to money from pigeon shooters and pro-shoot PAC’s.
Protested at a fundraiser for then candidate for PA Governor Tom Corbett because of his support for pigeon shoots. Corbett literally ran away from SHARK activists when asked about it.