Critter World News

In this week's podcast ending February 20, 2010:  animal rights activists call on the US Secretary of Agriculture to investigate the high number of research animal deaths resulting from negligence; the new director of the Toronto Humane Society is accused of animal welfare violations; five sea lions were shot near Seattle, WA; and 2 PETA members stage a protest at th Westminster Dog Show.

In this week's podcast ending February 13, 2010:  Britain's Ministry of Defense defends its use of pigs as subjects in explosives testing; an elephant expert argues for the closing of the elephant exhibit at the Toronto Zoo; the State of Hawaii seeks to toughen penalties for dog fighting; and animal rights groups protest the Canadian seal hunt in the shadow of the 2010 Olympics.

In this week's podcast ending February 6, 2010: Willet Dairy the subject of a Mercy for Animals undercover investigation suspends a worker shown abusing cows; the Humane Society applauds the Allergan Corporation for progress on the replacement of animal subjects in Botox testing; PETA files a lawsuit to free Lucy the elephant from the Edmonton Zoo; Mexican activists protest bullfights; and Canada steps up its support of seal hunting while hosting a G7 meeting.

In this week's podcast ending January 30, 2010:  a Mercy for Animals video spurs calls for a ban on tail docking in the State of New York; animal rights activists try to stop construction of a bullfighting ring in Beijing; a PETA protestor gets a pie in the face for protesting against the Canadian seal hunt; and legislation is proposed in China to ban the eating of cats and dogs.

In this week's podcast ending January 26, 2010:  animal rescue efforts are underway in disaster-stricken Haiti; a research study involving the burial of live pigs is halted; the blood sport of dogfighting enjoys a revival in Afghanistan; and a report by animal welfare organizations criticize pig farming in the European Union.

A US Federal Judge rejects claims that Ringling's Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus mishandles endangered Asian elephants; a primate at a Charles River laboratory facility dies from being run through a commercial washer; Miss Newfoundland defends the Canadian seal hunt; Cambodian prosecutions of illegal logging and wildlife smuggling have increased; and Sea Shepherd files piracy charges against a  Japanese research vessel.

The USDA and National Institutes of Health find animal welfare violations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; the Catalan Parliament in Spain finally votes to ban bullfighting in the region; the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, CA has a record year for marine life suffering from illness and human violence; 2010 marks the Year of the Tiger with less than 3,500 individuals left in the wild; and Carrie Feldman remains in prison under AETA charges while her lawyers file an appeal for her release.

PETA demands that the National Institutes of Health take back grant money awarded to the University of Kansas; the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums prepares to investigate the Calgary Zoo next year; convicted dog fighter Michael Vick receives an award in courage from the Philadelphia Eagles; Canada tries to find a public relations firm to counter anti-seal coverage; and a Washington State man is convicted of selling bear gall bladders.

An agreement in principle on new rules for animal testing has been reached by the European Union; ten laboratory chimpanzees retire to a Florida sanctuary; a Spanish province begins a discussion on banning bullfights; a record number of manatee deaths are recorded in the State of Florida; and the last known dancing bear is rescued in India.

The Calgary Zoo is under scrutiny for yet another animal death; convicted dog fighter Michael Vick is welcomed back to Atlanta; New Zealand is being bombarded with international protests for what many consider to be a transition to “factory farming” in Mackenzie Country; Russia bemoans that fact that it hasn't matched the US in transforming sea lions into military weapons; and a German tourist is caught smuggling 44 lizards out of New Zealand in his underwear.

Stories from this week's episode include the following: Oklahoma State University makes a controversial decision to halt anthrax testing on baboons; Dutch scientists have a breakthrough by growing meat in a laboratory;  PETA protests against a NASA-funded study to test radiation effects on spider monkeys; a new report outlines the devastation of global warming on the Galapagos Islands; and more than two tons of ivory were seized in an international operation across Eastern Africa.