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FALL 2020 / VOLUME 69 / NUMBER 3 whether a species merits listing, and made it more difficult to protect species impacted by climate change. Federal agencies have further harmed threatened and endangered species by shelving a rule limiting the number of SPOTLIGHT endangered whales, dolphins, and sea turtles that could be killed as bycatch, as well as by prioritizing the downlisting or Continuing Assault on delisting of species protected under the ESA, including the Wildlife Protections gray wolf. Agencies have also made scientifically unsupported listing decisions, such as denying ESA protections to the Our country’s vital wildlife protections are facing ongoing Pacific walrus and the Northern Rocky Mountain fisher. attacks that have unraveled decades of progress. This is in addition to the reversal of policies that protect wildlife In August, two federal agencies proposed yet another from various types of toxins, including lead ammunition, change to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations, pesticides, and coal mining runoff, as well as new actions that the effect of which would be to restrict areas that can be opened vast areas of wildlife habitat to oil and gas drilling. designated as critical habitat. This would represent a severe setback, because critical habitat is essential for stabilizing Failing to protect species and the areas they need to survive populations of threatened and endangered species. This goes against the sentiments of the American public—80 percent proposal follows three changes to the ESA regulations of whom support the ESA and continued protections for public made last year that, among other harmful things, curtailed lands, according to a recent study led by researchers at Ohio protections for threatened species, made it easier for State University. In a time of unprecedented wildlife extinction companies to build projects in critical habitat, allowed and habitat destruction, we should be working to strengthen— economic considerations to be weighed when deciding not weaken—vital protections for our nation’s wildlife. FOUNDER Viktor Reinhardt, DVM, PhD Joanna Grossman, PhD Erin Sutherland, Esq. Equine Program Manager Staff Attorney, Farm Animal Christine Stevens Robert Schmidt, PhD Program Johanna Hamburger, Esq. John Walsh, MD Director and Senior Staff Attorney, Regina Terlau-Benford DIRECTORS Terrestrial Wildlife Program Executive Assistant Cynthia Wilson, Chair INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE Sydney Hearst Dave Tilford Jill Carey Aline S. de Aluja, DVM, Mexico Digital Advocacy Manager Writer/Editor Caroline A. Griffin, Esq. Ambassador Tabarak Husain, Dena Jones Mary Lee Jensvold, PhD Bangladesh Director, Farm Animal Program Alan E. Kessock, CPA Angela King, United Kingdom Eric Kleiman Researcher Cathy Liss Agnes Van Volkenburgh, DVM, Poland Allison Ludtke Chris Miller, DVM Policy Advisor STAFF AND CONSULTANTS William S. Stokes, DVM Joanna Makowska, PhD Nadia Adawi, Esq. Laboratory Animal Advisor Animal Welfare Institute Animal Welfare Executive Director/General Counsel OFFICERS Susan Millward For subscription inquiries or other Alexandra Alberg Director, Marine Animal Program information, contact: Cathy Liss, President Senior Graphic Designer Carly O’Beirne Cynthia Wilson, Vice President Animal Welfare Institute Nancy Blaney Membership Coordinator Alan E. Kessock, CPA, Treasurer Director, Government Affairs 900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Kate O’Connell Washington, DC 20003 Caroline A. Griffin, Esq., Secretary Kate Dylewsky Marine Animal Consultant Senior Policy Advisor (202) 337-2332 Mary Lou Randour, PhD [email protected] Sue Fisher SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Senior Advisor, Animal Cruelty awionline.org Marine Animal Consultant Program Gerard Bertrand, PhD ISSN 1071-1384 (print) Marjorie Fishman Naomi Rose, PhD Roger Fouts, PhD Public Relations Manager Marine Mammal Scientist ISSN 1930-5109 (online) Roger Payne, PhD Allie Granger D.J. Schubert Tax ID# 13-5655952 Samuel Peacock, MD Farm Animal Policy Associate Wildlife Biologist CFC# 10474 18 JARED EVANS JARED AWI QUARTERLY FALL 2020 ANIMALS IN LABORATORIES MARINE LIFE 20 USDA Photos Document Horrifi c Suff ering 14 International Conservation Agenda in Flux at Chinchilla Research Supplier amid Pandemic 23 VA Told to Reduce Reliance on Dogs 16 Fingers Crossed for Famous Orca in Research in Family Way 23 Lab Oversight Lapses During Covid-19 16 Cetacean Fabrication: Could Robot 23 Grant Opportunity to Improve Lab Dolphin Fill the Bill at Theme Parks? Animal Welfare 16 Back to Briny Sea for Two Captive Belugas COMPANION ANIMALS WILDLIFE 24 Expanding Safe Haven Resources for 2 Continuing Assault on Wildlife Protections ABOUT THE COVER Domestic Violence Survivors with Pets 10 Keeping “Track” of Northern River Otters On page 14, AWI examines the 28 All US States Now Allow Vets to Report 11 Predator Protection Is Just Ecologic, challenges during the COVID-19 Suspected Animal Abuse Economic Logic pandemic as the world’s nations 12 Light Bar on Car Helps Deer Steer Clear attempt to shape and enforce FARM ANIMALS 12 Preserve the Wild, Prevent Pandemics international marine life and wildlife 4 Tyson, Perdue Tout Progress on 12 Scientists Suggest Concrete Target protection agreements without the Chicken Welfare to Curb Extinction benefi t of in-person meetings. As 4 UN Report: Agricultural Practices a 13 USDA Admits Negligence in for endangered tigers, more exist in Prime Factor in Pandemics Cyanide Poisoning captivity in the United States than in 5 Colorado Going Cage-Free 13 Tiger King’s Zoo Finally Shut Down the wild around the globe. Captive big 5 OIG Audits USDA Label Approval Process cats suff er from neglect and abuse in 5 AWI Creates Extreme Weather GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS backyard cages or tourist traps such as Resources for Farmers 8 House Includes Animal Welfare Measures the zoo featured in Tiger King (which 6 Monitoring International Transport in Spending Bills fi nally shut down—see page 13). Such of Farm Animals 8 Rep. Lieu Leads Eff ort to Get the Lead Out facilities breed cubs incessantly for 8 Rep. Huff man: Ban Drilling near Bear Dens petting and photo ops, but serve no HUMANE EDUCATION 9 NEPA Rollback Endangers Communities conservation purpose—none of these 17 Students Lift Voice, Take Action for Animals and Wildlife animals ever end up in the wild. 17 Lesson Plans Now Available for Photograph by Andy Rouse/Minden. Popular AWI Books REVIEWS 18 Dissection Alternatives: 26 Every Penguin in the World Superior Learning Opportunities that Spare Animal Lives 26 Stress and Animal Welfare 27 The One and Only Bob facebook.com/animalwelfareinstitute @AWIonline @AWIonline FARM ANIMALS Massive factory farms are contributing to the increased emergence of zoonotic diseases, says a recent UN report. UN REPORT: AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES A PRIME FACTOR IN PANDEMICS Across the globe, animal advocates and public health officials are working to prevent the next pandemic by making policy recommendations and implementing laws to identify and curb the transmission of zoonotic diseases. By addressing circumstances that lead to disease spread, governments can stop pandemics and improve the PIDJOE welfare of farm animals and wildlife. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a new TYSON, PERDUE has completed the conversion of its report, Preventing the Next Pandemic: TOUT PROGRESS ON largest slaughter plant from electrical Zoonotic diseases and how to break the CHICKEN WELFARE stunning to the less stressful controlled chain of transmission. UNEP identified Over the past five years, a few major atmosphere stunning (CAS), using gas seven trends driving the increasing US poultry companies have committed to render chickens insensible before emergence of zoonotic diseases, to working toward improving the lives slaughter. The company says it also including increased human demand of chickens raised for meat. These has conducted research into breeds for animal protein and unsustainable commitments address the breeding of chickens that grow slower and agricultural intensification. The report of chickens and their treatment on have better health and welfare than also identified the need for nations to the farm, including more space per conventional, fast-growing breeds. adopt animal welfare standards for bird and an enriched environment to the care, housing, and transport of live encourage natural behaviors. Also Tyson Foods, the nation’s largest animals along the entire supply chain included in many of the commitments chicken processor, is also making to reduce disease transmission. is transitioning to a less inhumane advancements in the care of method of slaughter. its chickens. The company has Live animal markets, which can implemented remote video auditing at facilitate the spread of zoonotic According to its 2020 company 33 of its poultry slaughter plants and is disease, have also been targeted by stewardship report, Perdue Farms— launching a project to assess its process lawmakers and advocates (see AWI fourth largest chicken processor for catching birds on the farm. Tyson, Quarterly, summer 2020). In New York, in the United States—has made which already uses CAS at its turkey a member of the state legislature has farm animals farm progress toward its animal welfare plant and two of its chicken plants, introduced a bill to ban live animal goals. The report claims that 52 reports plans to convert four more markets pending a review by a panel of percent of its poultry houses now plants to CAS in the next few years. experts regarding the associated public have windows