It starts out mildly enough: Heading to work on the subway, you realize you forgot your wallet. No big deal, you think. I’ll borrow money to get home. Soon the lights go out and the train hurtles toward the sky, speeding through the atmosphere. Time passes—it’s hard to tell how long. The subway is...
Pop quiz: What’s the best way to help butterflies in your backyard? If you answered “Plant butterfly bush,” you’re in good company. A recent survey of my gardening friends elicited the same response from more than a few. It’s easy to understand why: Aside from its self-reinforcing moniker, the plant...
WASHINGTON —Today, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration requesting that the agency updates regulations to make clear that animal testing is not legally required for drug approval. The petition also requests...
Around the world, animals used for meat, eggs and dairy often suffer on factory farms where they are treated as units of production rather than living, feeling creatures. The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International present comprehensive reports on animal agribusiness and...
For decades, animal welfare advocates have been working to end animal testing for makeup and personal care products. See how far we've come and how you can help support the Be Cruelty-Free campaign, our global effort to end cosmetic cruelty. Read Our Cosmetics Testing FAQ 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |...
When making travel decisions, choose what is safest and most comfortable for your pet. For instance, unless you'll be able to spend a lot of time with your dog, they'll probably be happier at home than tagging along on your trip. As a rule, cats are almost always better off in their own home. But if...
WASHINGTON - The Humane Society of the United States released today the results of a disturbing undercover investigation into two wildlife killing contests in Frederick County and in Waldorf, Maryland. Investigators documented the judging portions of the events, with participants lining up rows of...
Update 3/27/19: Dow AgroSciences ( Corteva Agriscience ) has officially agreed to release the beagles to our shelter partner, Michigan Humane Society. We are so grateful to each and every one of you who spoke up and took action to save these dogs. As we celebrate their freedom, our work is far from...
To experience the natural world, we often navigate congested highways to swim in the sea, fly over patchworked terrain to hike through preserved forests and climb distant mountaintops to catch rare views. Largely because of our ever-increasing mobility, the areas nearest to us are rarely the dearest...
To most people, the tiny voices rising above the din of traffic would have registered as everyday birdsong. But to Lori Thiele’s finely tuned ears, the high-pitched staccato emanating from a neighbor’s yard last spring was unmistakable, a sure sign of distress. “I was getting ready to go out on a...
Today, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed H.B. 1097 into law. The legislation will prohibit the sale of cosmetics in Washington that have been newly tested on animals. Passage of this law will prevent the cruel and unnecessary use of rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and rats to test cosmetic products if...
The suspect creeping up near my front fence was a tough character—broad-leafed and thick-stemmed and threatening to invade my property and swallow it whole if I didn’t act fast. There was no hesitation that summer morning as I headed to work: Off with his head! It was a decision made all too easy by...
As monarch butterflies and hummingbirds headed south this fall, I dreamt of following my favorite snowbirds to Mexico and Central America. But I stayed home instead, where I have a window onto the spectacular world of winter wildlife: northern flickers tossing maple leaves with their beaks in search...
Snakes instill a deep-rooted fear in many people that few other animals can match. Even other animals seem to put them in a special category; many wild animals recognize snakes as threatening, and some birds and monkeys even have special vocalizations for sounding an alarm when a snake is seen. But...
Mice, like all animals, like to stay warm and fed, and often spend their lives comfortably inside buildings without causing any problems. If you still need to show them the door, these humane tips will help you find them a new home. Learn More About Mice Contents How can I humanely remove mice? What...
Perhaps more than any other wild animal, rats have adapted to living among humans. Rats are adaptable survivors, consistently resisting increasingly dangerous and cruel attempts to exterminate them, from progressively stronger poisons (which can cause collateral damage to other wildlife) to a wide...
They slip soundlessly through our landscapes, cloaked in a rainbow of colors and patterns that help them become one with bark, rocks, leaves and soil. Often the only sign of their existence is what they leave behind: ghostly shed skins imprinted with shapes of eyes and scales, traces of pigmentation...