Inside This Issue:
- Animal Rights Organization Wants to Take Elephants from Highly Respected Accredited Zoo
- Woman Chased from Her Property by Hungry Raccoons
- Australian Study: Housing Is the Biggest Reason People Surrender Their Pets – But There's More to the Story
- California Passes Another Uncompromising, Reality-Defying "Animal Welfare" Bill
- Wait a Second... Predatory Jackrabbits?
Animal Rights Organization Wants to Take Elephants from Highly Respected Accredited Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo recently raised $1 million for African elephants.
Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) is at it again with Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ). CMZ is pushing back against a lawsuit over the care of their five elephants. The NhRP, staffed by lawyers with no practical experience with animals, seeks to have the elephants transferred to a sanctuary ahead of a hearing with the Colorado Supreme Court on Oct. 24.
The NhRP, based in Washington, D.C., rallied a small group of supporters at Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park on Oct. 6, claiming the elephants are stressed and deserve freedom. However, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, renowned for its top-tier animal care and conservation, asserts that the NhRP's true goal is to establish a legal precedent granting habeas corpus to animals, not to improve the welfare of the elephants.
The zoo has consistently demonstrated excellent care for the elephants, tailoring diets, enrichment, and exercise programs to each individual's needs and preferences. In contrast, the NhRP has a history of filing frivolous lawsuits against credible organizations, wasting resources and distracting from meaningful animal welfare efforts. Remember the case for Happy at the Bronx Zoo?
CMZ is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a distinction requiring rigorous adherence to the highest standards of animal care, safety, and conservation. The zoo has earned national recognition for its leadership in these areas, with nearly 50 years of uninterrupted AZA accreditation.
Recently, the zoo raised $5 million for conservation initiatives, including over $1 million for African elephant projects. This demonstrates its commitment to protecting endangered species and their habitats. Locally, the zoo consistently ranks among the top five in the nation by popular vote, reflecting the community's trust and appreciation for its mission and practices. The people of Colorado have come to know and love these animals, visiting and supporting them for years. The prospect of the elephants being taken away is deeply unsettling for the community. Coloradans are able to see African elephants at Cheyenne Mountain and Asian elephants at Denver – they get the best of both worlds.
The NhRP's lawsuit disregards the safeguards put in place by Colorado legislators, who have explicitly permitted accredited zoos like the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to provide a safe haven for elephants. The zoo's experts know that the elephants, having been human-reared and dependent on specialized care, cannot simply be released or relocated to a sanctuary.
The zoo has attempted various social groupings for the elephants but respects their individual choices and does not force them to go on exhibit together if they prefer otherwise. This animal-centered approach contrasts with the NhRP's ideological agenda, which prioritizes legal maneuvering over the well-being and needs of the elephants.
CMZ will argue before the Colorado Supreme Court that habeas corpus is a legal remedy for humans, not animals. The court should recognize that the zoo, with its decades of expertise and dedication, is the true advocate for the elephants, not the NhRP.
The zoo is confident that the court will see through the NhRP's sensationalism and uphold the lower court's ruling, which acknowledged the zoo's excellent care and did not grant the elephants habeas corpus. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo remains committed to providing the best possible life for the elephants, guided by science, experience, and a passion for animal welfare. The zoo will continue to fight on behalf of the elephants and the community that cherishes them.
Source: Animal rights activists protest for elephants ahead of Colorado Supreme Court hearing
Woman Chased from Her Property by Hungry Raccoons
Hey, we heard you brought snacks.
A Washington woman has learned the hard way that feeding wildlife comes with consequences. In this case, nearly 100 consequences: a small army of raccoons surrounding her home, demanding food. After escaping the hangry mob, she called in local authorities, who were understandably stunned by the sight of her raccoon-overrun property (check out their tweet here).
The raccoons were undoubtedly emboldened by free food they’d received in the past, but we should be clear that it wasn't just a little snack here and there. It turns out the homeowner had been feeding the critters for about 35 years. Yes, you read that correctly – more than 40 generations of raccoons. Given that information, maybe the only thing we should be stunned by is that it took this long for them to start wreaking havoc! So far, there is only one victim: a dog that needed a trip to the vet after getting into a scrape with the furry thugs. Unfortunately, the offending raccoons could not be identified, as they were wearing masks.
Moral of the story: Don't run a wildlife diner for three decades unless you want unwanted guests. Raccoons might be cute, but they'll trash your garden, raid your trash, and even break into your home. And let's not forget the diseases they can carry. So, enjoy them from afar and don't feed the raccoons – or any vector species for that matter.
At this time, Washington law does not prohibit the feeding of small wildlife, but their wildlife officials strongly discourage it.
Source: Poulsbo woman calls authorities after finding over 100 raccoons outside her home demanding food
Australian Study: Housing Is the Biggest Reason People Surrender Their Pets – But There's More to the Story
Two of the only individuals currently not dealing with housing insecurity.
A recent Australian study on the relinquishment of shelter animals tells a story that will certainly be familiar to American audiences: housing, housing, housing! It also uses its observations to point out the interconnected nature of human and animal welfare and suggests the need for more focused, targeted interventions when it comes to keeping people and their pets together.
Interestingly, while housing insecurity was the most common reason for people to relinquish their pets, the reasons for housing insecurity differed by the pet owner’s socioeconomic group. People with less money suffered general financial constraints related to owning and living with pets. But people with more money weren’t constrained by the cost of the pet ownership so much as their own healthcare issues. This is an excellent – and sad – reminder that two people can choose the same painful course of action while facing a markedly different set of circumstances.
These different circumstances are important to acknowledge. One-size-fits-all approaches to public policy can be framed in appealing ways that highlight values such equal treatment and simplicity. And in some instances, they probably are the most sensible option. But as this study demonstrates, flexibility and an understanding that nobody’s experience with pet ownership is exactly the same is a good starting point if you want to help a population as large and diverse as pet owners. No matter how well-intended, the cure that helps Jack keep his dog may do nothing for Jill.
Source: Why do owners leave pets in shelters?
California Passes Another Uncompromising, Reality-Defying "Animal Welfare" Bill
Amphioctopus fangsiao, better known as the webfoot octopus.
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed CA AB 3162, making it a crime to farm octopuses for human consumption or import farmed octopuses for human consumption in California. While vegan activists hail this as a victory for animal welfare, it ignores the realities of consumer demand, cultural heritage, the need for sustainable protein sources, and the potential for illicit trade.
Preventing farming operations and pushing exclusively for wild caught specimens is diametrically opposed to the work that many of the exact same organizations do to put an end to overfishing. An outright ban on octopus farming also fails to address the underlying demand for octopus, particularly in Japanese, Korean, and Mediterranean cuisines and ignores the need for innovation in sustainable animal protein in the global food supply. Prohibiting the practice will drive the industry underground, fostering a black market for octopuses and potentially leading to overfishing of wild populations to meet consumer needs.
Rather than a blanket ban, the focus should be on implementing best management practices and enforcing rigorous animal welfare standards for octopus aquaculture. Such regulation would allow the industry to meet demand in a sustainable way while also protecting the animals from the potential for inhumane treatment. Unfortunately, as we've seen time and time again, legislation like AB 3162 doesn't solve problems. This approach only makes it impossible to find common ground and strike a sensible balance with the complex issues of animal welfare concerns, conservation, science, and culture. And sadly, these failings are no mistake. They are by design, because compromise is never the goal.
Source: California’s Anti-Octopus Farming Bill Ignores the Big Picture
Wait a Second... Predatory Jackrabbits?
A white-tailed jackrabbit with the eyes of a killer.
Wyoming’s classification of jackrabbits as “predatory animals” sounds a bit absurd at first blush – hearing that, it's hard not to imagine the Rabbit of Caerbannog in a cowboy hat. But this absurdity creates opportunities for conversations about how we classify animals, how the term “predatory” fits within that framework, and for a little bit of history on the animal in question.
For the state of Wyoming, “predatory” simply refers to the threat an animal poses to agriculture. And within that framework, jackrabbits definitely fit the bill. They may not decimate livestock, but these hares are a longtime nemesis of farmers, and just love to gobble up sprouting corn and soybeans. So, contrary to our expectations, an animal doesn't need to be a biological predator to be “predatory" at all (in fact, numerous predators are not classified as predatory) – it just has to be a major agricultural nuisance. In other words: it's perfectly reasonable to beware of predatory pocket gophers!
During the Great Depression, and especially in the Dust Bowl, jackrabbits were a major scapegoat for people’s pain and frustration – and were treated as such. There were numerous jackrabbit roundups and drives during that era where people would gather for a friendly hello, a drink or two, and then brutally club a few thousand jackrabbits to death. With our advantage of hindsight, it’s easy to see the role the era’s agricultural practices played in creating the Dust Bowl disaster, and how the jackrabbit “scourge” was a predictable outcome. But at the time, people wanted to feel like they were protecting what few crops they had left, and in many cases, were out for blood – literally.
It has been decades since jackrabbits descended upon farms like plagues of giant, furry locusts, though old timers can remember seeing the occasional “army” of jackrabbits as late as the 1980s. Roundups were decidedly out of fashion by that era, however. Despite, uh, breeding like rabbits, these predatory hares have not experienced a recent population surge, and run-ins with farmers are currently a much smaller, localized issue.
Source: Why Wyoming Jackrabbits Are “Predatory” Animals, On Par With Coyotes And Wolves
Also in the News...
★ 'We've used hallways, we've used bathrooms': How zoos protect animals when hurricanes hit (Zoo Animals & Natural Disasters; Improvised Housing)
★ Black bear and 3 cubs attack man after they break into his Colorado home (Unexpected Visitors; Euthanasia; Too Much Human Habituation)
★ Salmon swim freely in the Klamath River for 1st time in a century after dams removed (Wildlife Conservation & Habitat Restoration)
★ Jacksonville Humane Society searching for families to foster pets during Hurricane Milton (Hurricanes; Rescues & Shelters; Fostering Opportunities)
★ Humane agents rescue animals from 2 Youngstown homes on same day (Pet Rescue; Neglect & Abuse)
★ While humans can only manage a day in a desert there's one toughie that can last decades (Extremophile News; It Had to Be a Water Bear)
★ Researcher discusses companion animals' impact on child development (Kids, Pets, and Longitudinal Data)
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