Since 2015, we’ve presented our annual list. We present our annual list in two parts. Part I lists the notable stories that affected animals during 2019. In Part II, we look at the 2010s with the most important stories year-by-year, an analysis of developments and trends. A remarkable number of these stories and issues have spanned the decade.

Don’t see a story you think deserves attention? Want to comment — or challenge — our choices? We welcome feedback: contact us at info@attorneysforanimals.org; or message us on FaceBook. 

Cows who survived the hurricane, stranded on a porch, surrounded by flood waters in North Carolina.

Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals

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2018

  1. In Michigan advocates fight off “puppy mill bill” that would have prohibited local sales bans as Governor vetoes; and law strengthening animal crimes is signed into law
  2. Other state laws: NJ and HI ban wild animal circuses; MD enacts retail sales ban; CA courts can determine custody of animal in divorce cases; DE ends automatic euthanasia of retired animals used in labs
  3. US Farm Bill passes with animal friendly provisions, defeat of disastrous King Amendment
  4. Missouri bans labeling a product “meat” unless derived from harvested production livestock or poultry; followed by lawsuit
  5. USDA’s own report shows enforcement of Animal Welfare Act plummeted in 2018 with only 15 new cases opened in 9 months of current fiscal year
  6. More cases alleging Endangered Species Act violations on behalf captive wildlife
  7. Good news/bad news from Veterans Administration, which announced review on use of dogs in medical testing, with aim of ending; but a new VA Secretary announces plans to continue tests
  8. Justice, the horse, sues former owner for neglect; OR judge dismisses case brought by ALDF 
  9. Lawsuit by Center for Biological Diversity, HSUS, Born Free U.S.A. challenges USFWS decision to allow elephant trophies into the country, as not science-based 
  10. Lawsuit against National Marine Fisheries Service to force disclosure of cause of death of 3 orcas, Tilium, Kasatka and Kyara, at SeaWorld, by PETA, AWI
  11. Series of nuisance lawsuits against Smithfield by NC neighbors of the pork producing giant, have gone to trial with over $500M in damages; latest case found for plaintiffs but lower award
  12. Marine Mammal Protection Act
    • lawsuit challenging agency decision to allow seismic airgun blasting in Atlantic ocean, harming many marine species including the highly endangered right whale
    • Congress amends Act allowing lethal removal of nearly 1,000 sea lions a year
  13. Rescue/Sheltering animals after natural disasters provide riveting images, including Hurricane Florence leading to pigs drowning in NC and wildlife trapped by fires in CA
  14. 87 elephants poached for their ivory in Botswana in recent months, a sharp and disturbing increase; 2019 saw a new president end the ban on issuing trophy hunting licenses
  15. Brussels Parliament backed draft ordinance recognizing animals as sentient beings, meaning they will no longer be considered property; Luxembourg increases legal protection for “all animals”, requires affirmative duties toward animals; the bill passed unanimously and is the 1st update in 30 years  
Michigan    Puppy mill bill veto     animal crimes
Other states   circuses NJ,HI    retail ban      custody    retired
Farm bill    animal friendly     King
"Meat"   podcast
Enforcement
Captive wildlife   declaw   Lolita   giraffes  
 VA   good news/bad news 
 Justice here 
Elephant trophies
Orcas
Nuisance
MMPA   Airgun blasting   sea lions
Rescue/shelter  Florence here, here and here    fires here and here
87 elephants   2019 end ban
Brussels    Luxembourg
AFA complete lists here and here

2019

  1. United Nations study warns that one million species face extinction
  2. PACT Act signed into law in November after receiving overwhelming bipartisan support in both US House and Senate, making egregious animal cruelty a federal crime; closes loophole in law preventing the production and distribution of “crush videos” to criminalize underlying behavior; called the “first federal anti-cruelty act” but how broadly it will be applied remains to be seen
  3. Department of Interior
    • Proposal to de-list Great Lakes gray wolves from Endangered Species Act protections attracts opposition among scientists, politicians, organizations (including AFA) and general public during 4-month comment period; proposal now under review
    • Proposed rule would weaken Endangered Species Act, making it harder to list a species and allowing consideration of economic factors; animal and environmental groups, and 17 state Attorneys General (including Michigan’s) follow with lawsuits to challenge proposal
    • Birds in sharp decline in last 50 years, but change to interpretation of Migratory Bird Treaty Act “all but ends punishment” for bird deaths, favors developers, industry; some victories
    • Oil drilling still a threat to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off-shore, but has faced legal and bureaucratic hurdles this year
    • Hunting and fishing expanded in 77 National Wildlife Refuges in 37 states
    • Good news: Giraffes may receive protection under Endangered Species Act as USFWS begins review based on pressure and a lawsuit from environmental groups
  4. USDA
    • Fallout from 2017 scrub of on-line Animal Welfare Act inspection and enforcement continues, as lawsuit proceed; and the 2020 federal budget directs the agency to restore and maintain records
    • New rule eliminates production line speed limits at pig slaughterhouses and allows self-regulation by companies instead of USDA inspectors, prompting lawsuits from animal advocates and food workers union
    • Decrease continues in Animal Welfare Act enforcement; one official attributes it to government shut-down and fewer inspectors; leads to more animal suffering
    • Proposed rule to counter the automatic renewal of AWA licenses
    • Some positives:licenses revoked for Nosey the elephant’s owner (Nosey now in sanctuary); Cricket Hollow Zoo (10 years after initial enforcement action and 2 years after lawsuit filed; revocation on appeal); and “notorious” animal exhibitor and trainer, after he violated a suspension order (he exhibited tigers at a zoo without a permit)
    • the agency will no longer use kittens to study toxoplasmosis and the 14 remaining felines will be adopted, ending a 37 year secret study in which 3,000 cats were used — after an animal advocacy group exposed the tests
  5. EPA: a mixed bag as the agency announces plans to decrease the number of animals used in research and encourage development of alternatives; but reauthorized the use of “cyanide bombs” used mainly by the agency’s Wildlife Services in predator control but which have killed or injured other animals and pose a risk to humans
  6. Border Wall continues to generate concern about effects on wildlife, and lawsuits; this year, a suit filed to stop
  1. Border Wall continues to generate concern about effects on wildlife, and lawsuits; this year, a suit filed to stop building a wall along the AZ border was unsuccessful
  2. Animal-friendly bills included in the 2020 budget bill on issues such as wildlife trafficking, pet food safety, horse soring, horse slaughter, trophy imports, disaster planning, marine mammals, humane slaughter of farmed animals, use of primates in research…and more
  3. EPA: a mixed bag as the agency announces plans to decrease the number of animals used in research and encourage development of alternatives; but reauthorized the use of “cyanide bombs” used mainly by the agency’s Wildlife Services in predator control but which have killed or injured other animals and pose a risk to humans
  4. Border Wall continues to generate concern about effects on wildlife, and lawsuits; this year, a suit filed to stop building a wall along the AZ border was unsuccessful
  5. Animal-friendly bills included in the 2020 budget bill on issues such as wildlife trafficking, pet food safety, horse soring, horse slaughter, trophy imports, disaster planning, marine mammals, humane slaughter of farmed animals, use of primates in research…and more
  6. Michigan becomes the first mid-western state (and the largest egg producing state — 6th in the nation) to institute cage-free standards and enrichment, joining California, Washington, Oregon and Rhode Island; this came after a months’ long effort to oppose a bill that would have gutted even existing farmed animal protections, and resulted in a strong coalition of both Michigan and national groups; it will improve the lives of some 15 million hens annually when it goes into effect at the end of 2024 by requiring all eggs produced and sold in Michigan to come from hens raised in cage-free conditions
  7. Wolves remain a contentious issue, with the federal proposed de-listing targeting Michigan and two other states in particular
    • AFA submitted a comment opposing the proposal based on concern about the ability of the state to manage wolves in a fair and even-handed manner
    • Two stories detailed potential wrong-doing by the DNR in managing wolf-livestock conflicts, leading to the Attorney General to open a review into agency handling of records
    • Both houses of the legislature again introduced resolutions calling on the federal government to de-list wolves; the House resolution was adopted, the Senate is pending
  8. Laws and Sentencing Guidelines: Michigan has strong animal crimes laws (and they were recently amended); however, our Sentencing Guidelines system results in probation or minimal jail or prison time even in the most egregious cases, and should be tweaked; Michigan State Police report animal crimes increased from almost 3-fold between 2016 and 2018
  9. Bans/Regulations: the year saw New York City ban foie gras; pet leasing banned in NY, CA, IN, NJ, NV, CT, WA; NM bans coyote killing, joining VT and CA; NYC regulates horse carriages; NY State regulates pet dealers; IL bans sale of cosmetics tested on animals, following CA (2018) and NV (2019) and also requires cat and dog kennels to have safety standards for fire prevention; and CA enacts a bill strengthening protections for migratory birds in the wake of federal rollbacks
  10. Ag Gag laws are still in litigation; this year, an Iowa law was struck down, the legislature passed another law and that law was challenged in court, from January to April; this year also saw Ag Gag laws passed or introduced in Australia and Canada
  11. Fur bans in CA include sales and trapping bans, and bans on sales of animals’ skins; several department stores and designers are going fur free (as is Queen Elizabeth)
  12. Meat Labeling laws in several states under guise of consumer protection; a court allowed the MO law to go into effect despite a lawsuit by Tofurky; but a judge halted enforcement of an Arkansas law; we are likely to see more laws…and more lawsuits
  13. Roadside zoos
    • Cricket Hollow closed after years of litigation and 3 separate lawsuits with over 400 animals finally rescued and finding new homes late this year
    • Olympic Game Farm in Washington state was an “institution” and has evaded oversight for years; ALDF has brought suit
  14. Horse Racing: the death toll at the Santa Anita racetrack in CA climbed during the year to 38; the county prosecutor found no evidence of animal cruelty; a regulatory agency will release a report in January 2020; the Horseracing Integrity Act is pending in Congress to better regulate the industry
  15. Barn fires: AWI released a report that 450,000+ farmed animals were killed in 2019 in barn fires, with MI having the highest number (250,000 hens perished in an April fire at a large producer); AFA signed onto a letter earlier in the year calling on tougher standards; and a barn fire on Thanksgiving at an Ohio safari park killed 10 animals
  16. War on Carnivores: we’ve talked about a “War on Wildlife” for several years, but this year we’re refining it; there’s a war on carnivores by ranchers, and the former are losing; last four of WA pack of wolves killed by state officials; wildlife killing contests often target predators (although there are campaigns to ban them); Michiganders were spun up about coyote sightings; a Carnivore Coexistence Lab opened at the University of MN
UN study
 PACT Act:  House   Senate 
Interior Proposed Rule and lawsuits here here and here    Birds: decline  ends punishment some victories      oil drilling   Wildlife Refuges    Giraffes 
USDA  data scrub here and here    Pig Slaughterhouse; lawsuits here and here   AWA Enforcement here here and here     Revocations: Nosey  Cricket Hollow  Notorious     Kittens 
 EPA: animal test   cyanide bombs 
 The Wall 
 Budget 
 Egg-laying hens and here 
 Wolves  AFA comment   articles here and here  AG review   SR 38 and HR 87   Isle Royale 
 Laws Puppy Mill sentencing   Sterling   MSP 
 Bans   foie gras  coyote  horse  NY State  cosmetics  kennels   birds
 Ag Gag 
 Fur  CA bans  stores and designers  Queen 
 Meat   Arkansas 
 Petting zoos  Cricket Hollow here and here   Olympic Farms 
 Horse Racing: 38th  prosecutor  HIA 
 Horse Racing: 38th  prosecutor  HIA 
 Predators    last 4   cougar  coexistence   
AFA's complete 2019 list