Legislation, Voting, Political Candidates

Study Says Consumers Favor National Egg Legislation

Carol L. Glasser — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:45:00 -0800

Legislation was introduced to the US congress in January 2012 that would require egg producers to switch from conventional cages to "enriched cages." Enriched cages refer to "colony housing," which would need to be phased in over 15 to 18 years. Sponsorship of the survey and the question wording was not made publicly available.

Virginia Voters Oppose Cruel Practice of “Fox Penning” by More Than 8-to-1 Margin

Carol L. Glasser — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:45:00 -0800

A brief survey of Virginia voters examined attitudes toward fox penning and whether there is support in the state to pass legislation banning the practice. The survey found most are opposed the practice and a majority support legislation to ban fox penning in the state of Virginia.

Kentucky Residents’ Awareness of and Opinions on Elk Restoration and Management Efforts

Carol L. Glasser — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:45:00 -0800

Residents of the U.S. state of Kentucky were surveyed about their experiences with and attitudes toward elk and other wildlife management issues. The survey was conducted to examine the effects of an elk restoration project that began in 1997.

Coming Soon: Year Five of HRC's Animal Tracker

HRC Admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:45:00 -0800

We’re getting ready to launch year five of HRC’s Animal Tracker annual survey of the public opinions and behavior of adults in the U.S. This year’s survey, which will field in March, addresses opinions toward various social movements, who people trust to provide information about animal welfare, opinions about the adequacy of animal protection laws, attitudes toward the importance of animal welfare in various situations, and the frequency with which people discuss animal protection issues. We asked the exact same questions in 2008 and 2009 and will be able to analyze changes over time. When the results are available in April, we’ll also refresh the Animal Tracker graphing tool so that the results will be easy to access and interpret.

Humane State Rankings 2011

Carol L. Glasser — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:45:00 -0800

This report is the Humane Society of the United States' ranking of each US state based on laws addressing animal protection. The report is user friendly--presented as an interactive map, a listing of each state by ranking, as well as short individual reports for each state that provides detail on which laws exists in that state.

2011 U.S. Animal Protection Laws Rankings

Carol L. Glasser — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:45:00 -0800

This report ranks each U.S. state according to its animal cruelty laws. This ranking is released by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) on an annual basis. This year the five states with the best animal protection laws are: Illinois, Maine. Michigan, Oregon, and California. The worst are: South Dakota, Iowa, Idaho, North Dakota, and Kentucky.

In Defense of Humane Trends

Carol L. Glasser — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:24:35 -0800

In a recent review in ANIMAL PEOPLE, Merritt Clifton responded to the Humane Research Council’s Humane Trends study with questions regarding its validity and usefulness. We appreciate the feedback and are always open to improvement, but we are concerned that some of Mr. Clifton’s critiques were misdirected and that they undervalued the overall usefulness and importance of the Humane Trends study.

The Use of Animals in New Zealand: Regulation and Practice

Carol L. Glasser — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:45:00 -0700

This article addresses the laws regulating animal welfare in New Zealand. The author highlights an over-used loophole, which he argues makes the current legal status of animals generally unprotected.

First Strike: The Violence Connection

Carol L. Glasser — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 10:45:00 -0700

This report compiles research addressing the links between different forms of domestic violence against animals and children. The study also goes into detail to provide definitions for concepts such as abuse, neglect, and cruelty.

New Humane Trends Study and Website Released Today

Carol L. Glasser — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:45:00 -0700

Today we are launching our new Humane Trends report and the accompanying website, www.HumaneTrends.com. Put simply, Humane Trends is a barometer of the status of animal protection in the United States. The study brings together a collection of 25 diverse indicators to assess the status and progress of animal well-being, providing a comprehensive view of animal use and abuse in the United States to help inform animal advocates as well as policymakers and the public.