NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Fur Sales Banned In San Francisco, Trophy Hunting Lawsuit, Mar. 16 – Mar. 23, 2018

By Leslie Goldberg

SAN FRANCISCO BANS THE SALE OF FUR

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has unanimously passed a resolution to ban the sale of fur, making San Francisco the first major city in the United States to do so. San Francisco follows similar bans in West Hollywood and Berkeley. Of late, multiple big name designers have sworn off using real fur including Michael Kors, Versace, Armani and Jimmy Choo. With key support of DxE, along with PETA, In Defense of Animals, and a significant portion of the public, Supervisor Katy Tang introduced the bill, saying “Profiting off of the literal backs of animals is not right and we will no longer tolerate animal cruelty in the city of St. Francis!” The mayor is expected to sign the measure next week. The law will go into effect next year.  (Huffington Post, March 22, 2018) 

UK TO COPY SAN FRANCISCO FUR BAN? 

Prime Minister Teresa May is facing pressure from animal rights activists in the UK to follow San Francisco's lead and ban the sale of fur. A spokeswoman from the British arm of the Humane Society International said, “San Francisco is showing that animal fur is a fashion faux-pas that simply will not tolerate. The vast majority of British people feel the same. For our government to realize its ambition of being a world leader in animal welfare it means closing our borders to the cruel, outdated and completely unnecessary fur trade.” (I, March 21, 2018) 

NO MORE ANIMAL-TESTED COSMETICS IN CALIFORNIA!  

The California State Legislature will consider a bill banning the sale of cosmetics tested on animals. The California Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act, introduced by Senator Cathleen Galigiana in late February, would forbid the sale of all animal-tested cosmetics, possibly including  shampoos, deodorants, makeup and other beauty products. California already prohibits the testing of cosmetics on animals, but this bill would include products tested elsewhere. (Newsweek, March 3, 2018)

TROPHY HUNTING LAWSUIT 

Animal rights and environmental groups are suing Secretary of the Interior and hunting fan, Ryan Zinke over his decision to allow hunters who kill elephants and big cats in Africa to bring their "trophies" back into the United States. The lawsuit charges that the Department of the Interior's recent decision to permit this practice violates the Endangered Species Act. (The Pacific Standard, March 20, 2018)

SPEAKING OF RYAN ZINKE 

The Secretary of the Interior has created a new advisory board to provide input on "conservation issues," specifically to hype the role of hunters in conservation and increase public awareness of "benefits," particularly the "economic benefits," of Americans traveling abroad to hunt. A side note: Most of the people appointed to the group are either hunters themselves or tied in some way to the hunting business. (ABC News, March 18, 2018)

RIGHTS OF ANIMAL TRAVELERS 

In the wake of the horrific death of Kokiko, a French bulldog who suffocated after being stuffed (on the orders of a flight attendant) into the overhead compartment of a United Airlines plane, New York State Senator Marisol Alcantara has proposed a measure which would prohibit placing an animal in an overhead compartment and mandate that all cargo areas be pressurized, ventilated and climate controlled. Flight staff would be required to complete a pet safety course. (Live Kindly, March 20, 2018)

THE BEST AND WORST STATES FOR (COMPANION) ANIMALS 

A study by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) concluded that Kentucky is the worst state when it comes to protecting animals. The states were rated based on penalties on animal abuse and enforcing restrictions on future ownership or possession of animals if a person has already been convicted of animal abuse. Kentucky is the only state which prohibits veterinarians from notifying authorities if animal mistreatment is suspected. The second worst state was Iowa and the best state was Illinois. The ALDF which has conducted this survey for 11 years, said that more than half of all states in the country have "significantly" improved their animal protection laws in the last five years. (Newsweek, March 21, 2018)

A STEP TO BAN GREYHOUND RACING IN FLORIDA 

Florida may ban greyhound racing yet. Backed by strong public support, the Florida Constitution Revision Commissioner Tom Lee cleared a procedural hurdle to get Proposition 67 on the Florida ballot. The measure would phase out the "sport" by July of 2020. According to an article in the Humane Society of the United States news blog, every three days a greyhound racing dog dies on a Florida track.Typically these gentle dogs are kept in small cages, 20 out of 23 hours in a day.  (HSUS, March 21, 2018)

SEEMS LIKE A NO-BRAINER TO US 

The Massachusetts Senate unanimously approved a bill that would ban the drowning of all domestic and wild animals. The measure would remove a requirement to automatically kill animals involved in animal fighting, prohibit engaging in sexual contact with an animal (!) and require property owners to search for abandoned animals within three days after a property is vacated. (Associated Press, March 17, 2018)