|  | | | Wild Cow Milking and Rodeo Cruelty Don't Belong in Alameda Rodeos are filled with events that are inherently cruel to their unconsenting participants, but "wild cow milking" might be one of the most offensive — and it's still taking place in California at the Rowell Ranch Rodeo during the third weekend in May. Urge officials in Alameda County to bring these abusive spectacles to an end once and for all.  Natural Bridge Zoo: Asha Deserves a "Beautiful" Life Beautiful, formerly known as Asha, the elephant at the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia, has known suffering her entire life. Orphaned and sold, she has been denied a life in her natural environment with her family. It has been forever since she has known freedom or genuine love. Please take action to send Beautiful to an accredited elephant sanctuary so she can finally experience near freedom in a rich habitat with other elephants.  Victory! Maryland Bans Declawing Cats In a huge victory for cats, Maryland has become the second state in the U.S. to ban the cruel practice of declawing cats with Gov. Larry Hogan signing a new law that goes into effect on October 1, 2022. Our thanks go out to all the individuals and organizations who advocated for this bill, including nearly 1,000 residents who signed our alerts calling on the legislature and governor to support this change.  Wildlife Services 2021 Report Reveals Millions of Animal Deaths Once again, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report detailing the monumental and tragic loss of animal lives it was responsible for in the last year. In its annual report for 2021, Wildlife Services admits that it intentionally killed approximately 1.76 million animals and accidentally killed another 2,746 native animals using $86.8 million in taxpayer dollars. We object to this colossal travesty and are especially concerned since there are approved non-lethal methods to resolve most of the damage claims made against wild animals.  UPDATE: Remember Butters? She Finally Has a Home! In February, we told you about a small dog we named Butters who was found seriously injured and also heartworm positive near our Hope Animal Sanctuary in Mississippi. We took her in, and we couldn't be more excited that she's finally in her forever home. | | |  Become an Animal Advocate for just $5 a week! |  Make In Defense of Animals part of your estate plans. | 3010 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 | Tel: 415.448.0048 In Defense of Animals © 2021 All rights reserved. | |
