Inside This Issue:

  • This Holiday Season, Donate to NAIA!
  • Wild Horses and Consequences
  • San Antonio Scammers Prey on Pet Owners
  • Wolverine Management and Recovery in Idaho
  • Animals and Allergies, Sabotage at the Zoo, and an Arctic Fox Recovers

This Holiday Season, Support NAIA!

If you want your charitable donation to make a big difference this year, please consider making a generous gift to NAIA. We are on your side working day and night to preserve our animals, our professions, our sports – all facets of the human-animal bond – and to win, we need your support!

Since 1991, NAIA has defeated countless pieces of legislation that would have negatively affected responsible dog ownership and breeding. We are proud of these accomplishments and grateful for the support we have received throughout these battles, but as we move into a new era, it is time to do more than simply fight back. In 2025 we need to harness the expertise and passion of animal lovers like you to change the narrative!

Taking back the narrative is vitally important. A signature, but often overlooked characteristic of animal rights legislative campaigns is how they are paired with media campaigns that promote propaganda and demonize the activists’ targets. These tactics are designed to shift public opinion during the legislative battle… and they have been very effective. The result is that today, animal rights fundraising groups have a virtual lock on the public discourse about animals.

The writing is on the wall. If the public doesn’t recognize us as the experts and the good guys, we’re gone. So, even though NAIA will continue fighting bad legislation when it inevitably appears, we are currently shifting our focus toward raising the profiles of hands-on subject matter animal experts – people like you. Please click the link below to join our fight and support us so that we can succeed for all of us!

Support NAIA Today!

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Wild Horses and Consequences


How many horses do you see here?

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 protects unbranded and unclaimed wild horses and burros (WHB) on public lands from being killed, captured, branded, or otherwise harassed. The act was about animal welfare as well as cultural and environmental preservation. An excellent new research article co-authored by horse expert and NAIA board member, Dr. Elizabeth Greene, explores how we are facing the unintended consequences of this act today.

With the benefit of hindsight, even the best of intentions may seem quaint, ineffective, or even destructive. Material conditions and public attitudes change. Different approaches to management inevitably fall in and out of vogue. Sometimes a perceived solution introduces a new set of problems. In the case of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, the problem is “all of the above.” WHBs are beloved animals that stir strong emotions in many people, but the extensive cost and limited options for handling WHB overpopulation makes effective and fair management of the public lands they inhabit – a difficult balancing act during the best of conditions – Sisyphean. Sadly, as currently amended, the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act leads us toward ecological destruction, inhumane conditions, and even the death of WHBs. Read the full informative and important article below.

Source: Unintended Consequences of the Wild Free-roaming Horses and Burros Act

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San Antonio Scammers Prey on Pet Owners


Like many of us, she'd do anything if she believes her dog is in danger.

A recent San Antonio Animal Care Services scam alert highlights an alarming trend in schemes targeting pet lovers' deepest emotions. This particular scam – where criminals pose as animal services officials to extort money through cash-sharing apps – is just one of many targeting vulnerable pet owners.

The scope of pet-related fraud is staggering. According to the Better Business Bureau, approximately 80% of online sponsored pet advertisements are fake], and in 2023 alone, about 2,500 pet scams were reported in the U.S., with victims losing a median of $700 per incident.
These scams take various forms:

  • Lost pet extortion: Scammers contact worried pet owners who've lost their animals, claiming to have found them and demanding payment for their return,
  • Fake injury calls: Similar to the San Antonio case, criminals claim to have found an injured pet requiring immediate payment for care,
  • Puppy purchase fraud: Scammers create elaborate schemes with fake websites, copying airline logos and shipping information to appear legitimate, and
  • Emergency vet scams: Criminals pose as veterinary services demanding upfront payments for supposedly critical care

It's rough out there, but here are a few ways you can protect yourself from the San Antonio scam and others:

  • Verify caller identity by requesting specific details about your pet that only legitimate services would know,
  • Contact animal services directly through official channels to confirm any claims,
  • Remember that legitimate animal services never require upfront payment via cash-sharing apps, and
  • Be especially wary during times of emotional distress – scammers prey on the panic of losing a pet.

What makes these scams particularly cruel is how they exploit the profound bond between people and their pets. Criminals know that when a beloved pet is supposedly in danger, rational thinking takes a backseat to emotional response, making even the most savvy individuals vulnerable to fraud. The perpetrators count on pet owners acting quickly out of love and concern, rather than taking time to verify claims.

Source: City officials warn residents about scam targeting pet owners

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Wolverine Management and Recovery in Idaho


Wolverine!

When U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists trek into Idaho's snow-covered forests to study wolverines, they're doing far more than tracking a single species. They're piecing together a complex puzzle that reveals the health of entire mountain ecosystems. The recent listing of the North American wolverine as threatened under the Endangered Species Act isn't just about protecting these fierce, resourceful creatures. As an apex predator, wolverines play a vital role in shaping ecosystem structure, influencing everything from predator-prey relationships to nutrient cycling in their high-altitude domains.

Conservation is costly — global biodiversity protection requires an estimated $722 to $967 billion annually. But the return on investment is extraordinary. When we protect species and their habitats, the economic benefits greatly outweigh the costs, through ecosystem services like water filtration, soil maintenance, and natural disaster mitigation. The Wolverine Monitoring Enhancement project, with its hair-snare stations and motion-sensing cameras across three national forests, exemplifies the meticulous work needed to understand and protect a species. But it's not just about counting wolverines—it's about understanding the ripple effects of their presence or absence. When apex predators decline, it triggers what scientists call a trophic cascade—a chain reaction that can dramatically alter ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling. In wolverine territory, their role as both predator and scavenger helps maintain the delicate balance of mountain ecosystems. They keep smaller predator populations in check and clean up carrion, preventing the spread of disease and recycling nutrients back into the system.

The project's three-year timeline and significant funding through the Species Recovery Fund reflect the reality of modern conservation: protecting species requires long-term commitment, scientific rigor, and substantial resources. But the alternative—losing these ecosystem engineers—would cost far more. From the deep snowpack where wolverines den to the alpine meadows where they hunt, each aspect of their habitat supports countless other species. Their presence indicates healthy mountain ecosystems that provide clean water, carbon storage, and recreational opportunities worth billions to local economies. The success of wolverine conservation will be measured not just in population numbers, but in the health of the mountain ecosystems they help maintain.

Source: One year after federal listing, Idaho forest managers work to help wolverines survive

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Animals and Allergies, Sabotage at the Zoo, and an Arctic Fox Recovers


Come on, Bob, you're stressing me out.

A new study out of Sweden found that infants who are raised on farms and exposed to farm animals or pets have a lower incidence of allergies than their peers at the age of eight. Based on the bacteria found in fecal samples from the kids, researchers theorize that the children’s developing gut biomes were affected by “farm life.”

Considering the rise of allergies in industrialized nations in recent decades (some of them deadly), these findings are intriguing and could prove timely. “Could,” of course, being the key word, given the number of variables in play, as well as how difficult it has been for researchers to establish a consistent narrative when it comes to childhood exposure to pets and other animals. This is, nevertheless, some fascinating research, and it definitely plays to our preconceptions and biases.

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The owner of a private zoo in Michigan says his fence was deliberately sabotaged, resulting in the escape of 14 exotic, non-native deer. The deer have no idea how to survive on their own in Michigan, and their escape coincides with the state’s late archery hunting season, putting them at additional risk. Compounding the chaos, these deer are also quite friendly and have no concept of “traffic” (yes, even moreso than native deer) making them a risk to drivers, as well.

The owner, who has had run-ins with PeTA in the past, suspects the fence was cut by animal activists. Predictably, PeTA is having it both ways, seemingly delighted by the escape while simultaneously denying any connection to the sabotage. We hope all the deer are safe and quickly recovered.

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Uh oh! It seems that Luna, the Arctic fox discovered in a Portland, Oregon park last October, had some bad salmon while checking out Portland’s food scene. Luna, who was almost certainly somebody’s pet, displayed no fear of people or ability to survive on her own, so after being captured and rehabbed in Oregon, she was sent to a zoo in Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, Luna became ill shortly after acclimating to her new home. She displayed a clear drop in appetite and activity level, concerning her keepers. After some blood work, she was diagnosed with salmon poisoning – a bacterial infection caused by eating raw salmon. With salmon poisoning, it can take several weeks before symptoms appear, meaning Luna got the infection while wandering around the streets and parks of Portland. Luckily for her, she received some gold star treatment from veterinarians and is recovering now. With luck, this illness marks a close to the most “exciting” chapter of Luna’s life, so she can sit back and enjoy her new home!

 

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Also in the News...

★     Lawmaker Voices Concerns Over Pet Store Ban; Animal Advocates Disagree (Pet Store Bans; Animal Activists and Public Perception)
★     Opinion: “AG Jason Miyares has taken a firm stance against transparency and chosen to continue to operate in the shadows..." (Animal Law; FOIA Requests)
★     Why Duke University's Lemur Center Travels To Wyoming Every Summer (Paleontology; A Chance to Meet Our Ancestors)
★     'Euthanasia is a possibility, we never want to see that': BARCS takes in 100 animals in 48 hours
 (Rescue & Shelter Crowding; Surrenders & Strays)
★     Pictures of the year: Animals (Fun and Gorgeous Lists)

Click here to see what is happening legislatively

Donate to NAIA Today!