Animals win big, thanks to Fur Free Fashion!
Celebrity judges announce winners of Born Free USA “fffashion” competition
Sacramento, CA — Born Free USA is proud to announce the winners of “fffashion”, its inaugural fur-free fashion design competition. Independent designers were invited to enter their innovative fur-free fashion designs for cash prizes and the chance to be featured in a full-page ad in the September/October issue of E Magazine, a co-sponsor of the competition.
Federal Court Blocks Canned Hunting of Endangered Species
Washington, DC — In a blow to trophy hunting groups like Safari Club International, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today struck down a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule allowing sport-hunting of endangered antelopes at “canned” hunting facilities. Safari Club and other trophy hunting advocates intervened in the case, and argued in favor of legalizing the shooting of endangered animals trapped in enclosures.
Wildlife Protection Groups Challenge Great Lakes Wolf Delisting
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, five wildlife protection groups filed a complaint in Federal District Court challenging the removal of Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region. The non-profit organizations – the Humane Society of the United States, the Center for Biological Diversity, Help Our Wolves Live, Friends of Animals and Their Environment, and Born Free USA – have also asked the court to issue an immediate injunction to halt the killing of wolves pending resolution of the case.
Senate Committee Extends Lifeline to Primates, Endangered Cats and Dogs
Washington, DC — Born Free USA today congratulated the United States Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee on its passage of S. 529, the Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2009, and H.R. 80, the Captive Primate Safety Act. The bills would make vital funds available for conservation projects to save imperiled species of wild felids and canids around the world and impose restrictions on the interstate and international movement of nonhuman primates if they are to be kept as “pets.”
Wildlife Protection Groups to Challenge Removal of Great Lakes Wolf Population from the Endangered Species Act
Washington, DC – A coalition of wildlife protection groups — including The Humane Society of the United States, the Center for Biological Diversity, Help Our Wolves Live, Friends of Animals and Their Environment, and Born Free USA — announced today that they will challenge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recent decision to remove the protections of the Endangered Species Act from gray wolves living in the western Great Lakes region. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision reinstates a Bush administration policy that has been repeatedly struck down by the courts over the last decade.
Lynx in New Mexico Soon to Escape Legal Limbo
Government agrees to issue key lynx finding by December 15
Washington, DC — Conservationists and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) reached a legal settlement today, requiring the government to issue a finding by December 15 on a petition to federally protect the lynx in New Mexico (click here to download the court order). The agreement stems from a lawsuit filed earlier this year by conservation groups represented by the Western Environmental Law Center. Lynx are protected elsewhere in the lower 48 states under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) but enjoy no federal protection in New Mexico.
Federal Court Restores Gray Wolves to Federal Endangered Species List
State-Sponsored Wolf Hunting and Trapping Programs Blocked in Great Lakes Region
Washington, DC — In a victory for the gray wolf, a federal court today overturned the federal government’s controversial decision to strip wolves of all protection under the federal Endangered Species Act and turn management over to the states of Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by The Humane Society of the United States, Help Our Wolves Live, Born Free USA, and Friends of Animals and Their Environment.
State Ordered to Take New Action to Protect Lynx from Trappers
Minneapolis, MN — After issuing a critical ruling in March declaring the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (“DNR”) in violation of the Endangered Species Act for its authorization of trapping within lynx habitat, a Minneapolis federal court yesterday issued a ruling mandating:
- Restrictions on use of certain types of body-gripping traps and snare use in Lynx habitat;
- Prohibition on the use of fresh meat as bait;
- DNR must operate a telephone hotline during trapping season to receive reports of incidentally trapped lynx; and
- DNR must rehabilitate lynx injured from trapping.
