Animal rights

After Pressure, USDA Adds ‘a Tiny Fraction’ of Animal Abuse Records Back to Website

In what’s becoming a trend, the Trump administration is walking back another one of its controversial actions following extensive outrage from the public. This time, the USDA has begun reposting deleted documents to its publicly available database of inspection reports on facilities that use animals. But animal rights activists fear the trickle of restored data…

Zoos Suck For Both Animals and Humans

The backlash has been vicious since zookeepers killed a gorilla named Harambe in order to protect a boy who fell into its enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Now, police are investigating the parents in a misguided effort to administer blame, but one thing is more clear than ever: Zoos are awful places for animals to…

U.S. Navy Agrees to Create Safe Havens to Protect Marine Mammals From Military Exercises

The U.S. Navy has agreed to set aside vast swaths of ocean territory off the shores of Hawaii and Southern California in an effort to protect sound-sensitive marine mammals from the effects of sonar and powerful explosives used in military exercises. For years, marine biologists have warned about the detrimental effects of high-intensity, mid-frequency sounds…

Thousands of Monkeys are Being Sacrificed in the War on Terror

Since the 9/11 attacks, researchers in the United States have conducted exceptionally cruel, even superfluous, experiments on animals to develop countermeasures to weapons of mass destruction. But as BuzzFeed reporter Peter Aldhous asks: Is all this suffering really necessary? Monkeys, says Aldhous, “are the unsung heroes of the war on terror — or its hidden…

It’s About To Get A Lot Harder To Experiment On Chimps

The Jane Goodall Institute, in collaboration with other animal welfare groups, has successfully petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare a new rule under which all chimpanzees—both wild and captive—must be protected as an endangered species. Wild chimpanzees have been listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since 1990, so it seemed odd…

Earlier today, a NYC judge heard arguments on the rights of two chimps being used for science experiments. During the two-hours of proceedings, the president of the Nonhuman Rights Projects described the chimps as “autonomous and self-determining beings.” A decision on their fate is expected in one to two months. More here. Image credit: Associated…

Animals Are Now “Sentient Beings” According To New Zealand Law

Earlier this month, a change was made to New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Amendment Bill stating that animals — like humans — are “sentient” beings. As reported in The Independent, the updated Act means it’s now a legal requirement for the citizens of New Zealand to “recognize animals as sentient.” Accordingly, “owners of animals, and persons…

A New York Judge Has Granted Legal Person Rights To Chimpanzees [Updated]

For the first time in U.S. history, a supreme court has granted a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of two lab chimpanzees, effectively recognizing them as legal persons. While the future of the chimps has not yet been decided, it’s a huge step forward in establishing personhood status for highly sapient animals. Update 04/21/15…

Why Freeing Elephant Performers Is Not Nearly Enough

The costumes are coming off, the shackles are being unlocked, and the boxcars are opening. After more than 130 years, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus will retire its elephants. It’s an important step — but animals need legal rights, and not just laws that treat them like things. As a child, my…

Why The Human Brain Isn’t As Special As We Think It Is

The human brain is special. Just not that special. To understand animal minds, and our own place in the living world, we should remove ourselves from centre stage. Tommy the chimpanzee got his day in court on October 8th, 2014. He was unable to attend the hearing in ‘person’ – spending the day, like any…

The Truth About Your ‘Cage Free’ Eggs

What’s the difference between “Cage Free,” “Farm Fresh,” and “Free Range”? Photo Credit: Pietro Izzo via flickr | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 NPR’s Anders Kelto has assembled a glossary of terms “for the wannabe informed egg buyer” that contrasts what you might think these phrases mean with what they actually mean. If you’ve ever wondered what…

This Orangutan Is Now A Legally Recognized Nonhuman Person In Argentina

History was made this past weekend in Buenos Aires when an appeals court ruled that an orangutan held in a zoo is a nonhuman person unlawfully deprived of its right to bodily autonomy. The legal strategy used in this case is similar to the one recently employed by the Nonhuman Rights Project in the United…

Pope Francis Says Dogs (Probably) Go To Heaven

Recently, when consoling a boy whose dog had died, Pope Francis publicly stated that “paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” Despite the ambiguousness of the statement, many animal lovers and rights groups have interpreted it as a repudiation of Catholic theology stating animals don’t have souls. Well now, the Pope is certainly endearing…

Why An Appeals Court Was Wrong To Say This Chimp Isn’t A Person

Yesterday, a New York appeals court rejected a lawsuit filed by the Nonhuman Rights Project seeking legal rights for Tommy, a 26-year-old chimp kept alone in a warehouse. Here’s why the judges were wrong — and why that’s actually good news in the struggle to recognize nonhuman animal personhood. Top image: The plaintiff, Tommy, in…

[UPDATED] Why the U.S. Is One of the Cruelest Places in the World for Lab Animals

The United States prides itself on being a country of animal lovers. But when it comes to the ethical treatment of lab animals, few countries perform worse. Here’s how the U.S. practices measure up to the rest of the world. [UPDATE: io9 has editorial concerns with this article.] https://gizmodo.com/animal-welfare-science-an-apology-and-an-analysis-1665259272 Before you read further, please bear…

Why Chimps Should Never Become Pets Or Performers

Chimps who are removed from their mothers early in life and raised by humans as pets or performers are more likely to develop behavioral and social problems, according to new research. Can’t say I’m surprised, but it’s good to see work being done in this area. It’s well documented, for example, that infant chimps, when…

Oregon Supreme Court Rules Animals Can Be Considered Victims

The Oregon Supreme Court has passed a ruling that recognizes animals as more than property, to be treated (or mistreated) as their owners see fit. The ruling establishes that animals can be regarded as legal victims, which should afford them greater protection from abuse. Photo Credit: georgehawkins via flickr | CC BY-ND 2.0 Here’s Melissa…

How the World’s Largest Solar Plant Wants To Fix Its Fried Bird Problem

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System has a problem. The myriad mirrors that reflect the sun’s searing rays onto towers that generate electricity also create a death ray that fries anything in its path, namely poor innocent birds flying through the desert. But don’t worry. They’re working on it. Following a rather alarming Associated Press…

Solar Power Company Wants to Make Up For Frying Birds By Neutering Cats

A few months ago, Sploid reported on an unsettling consequence of running the world’s largest solar plant. The 350,000 mirrors bounce sunlight back towards the atmosphere with such intensity that it basically creates a giant death ray. The poor little birds that pass by don’t stand a chance—they get scorched in midair. This is not…

Are We Undergoing a Major Shift in How We Treat Animals?

Karen Joy Fowler just won the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award for her novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, about a girl whose psychologist father rears her and a baby chimp as “sisters.” Recently she talked about why she’s hopeful that humans will begin treating animals better. https://gizmodo.com/this-book-is-a-masterpiece-about-sisters-who-are-a-scie-510163738 In a conversation with science fiction writer Jeff…