Just as a historic freeze sent temperatures plummeting in Texas in February, overwhelming the state’s power grid, breaking pipes and leaving roads slick with ice, a strange call came into the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office near San Antonio. Someone said they heard an animal crying outside their...

Our Animal Rescue Team deployed to Muncie, Indiana, in October 2021 ready to rescue dozens of cats living in filthy conditions inside a residential property. As rescuers entered the house, they encountered an unexpected obstacle: A black-and-white cat approached them and began rubbing against their...

The disaster responders could tell when they were getting close to their destination. Driving south to Antakya—a city revered for its cultural history and home to 400,000 people—they saw a few damaged buildings. But as they approached the city, almost every building was crumbling. Once inside...

Editor's note: This release has been updated to reflect the final count of animals removed from the property. The Humane Society of the United States is assisting the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office with the rescue of approximately 250 dogs and puppies as part of an alleged cruelty case at two...

TYLER, Texas—The Humane Society of the United States is assisting the Smith County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office in rescuing nearly 40 dogs from an alleged neglect situation in Smith County, Texas. The SPCA of East Texas and Animal Investigations and Response also provided assistance on-scene. Local...

Maybe you’ve seen those videos of our Animal Rescue Team saving animals from hurricanes, floods and large-scale neglect situations. We HSUS staffers who toil in front of computer screens and aren’t directly involved in rescues have seen those videos too. And sometimes we feel a little left out and...

BOSTON—Today the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development heard testimony on bills prohibiting the use of elephants, big cats, primates, giraffes and bears in traveling exhibits and shows (H.3245 and S.2197/S.2189). This critical, bipartisan legislation serves to...

The cream-colored mare was pacing, criss-crossing her pen in the cobweb-strewn barn. When they found her on an Ohio property in November 2022, our Animal Rescue Team immediately noticed her ruptured eye, which had scarred over.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 263) by a vote of 278 to 134. The bill would prohibit keeping tigers, lions and other big cat species as pets, and ban direct public contact like cub petting. Sponsored and championed by Rep. Michael Quigley...

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate just passed the Big Cat Public Safety Act (H.R. 263, Senate companion bill S. 1210) by unanimous consent. This follows the bill’s passage by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 29. The legislation prohibits keeping tigers, lions and other big cat species as pets, and...

Sixty-two dogs were living on the Las Vegas, New Mexico, property when our Animal Rescue Team arrived in March to assist in rescuing them. They were found outdoors on frozen ground littered with broken glass, wires and other debris. Kirsten Peek, HSUS media relations manager, was present that day...

The first time Tim Harrison rescued privately owned big cats was back in 1982. A public safety officer at the time, Harrison and other responders found a male lion pacing around a small enclosure, a lion cub who appeared severely ill, bears, snakes and other animals on an Ohio property. It was rare...

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California Animal Welfare Association, the state association representing and supporting more than 260 animal shelters and animal control agencies, is pleased to announce the launch of a three-year project to improve disaster preparedness. With funding generously provided by the...

Danielle Tepper had always loved dolphins. When she went on vacation to Hawai'i, she knew she had to see them firsthand. Tepper—now a senior editor at the Humane Society of the United States—wanted to do it ethically, so she avoided captive dolphin attractions. Instead, she booked an excursion to...

CALL, Texas—The Humane Society of the United States and Operation Kindness are assisting the Newton County Sheriff’s Office with the rescue of about 10 dogs from an alleged cruelty situation in Newton County, Texas. The Newton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residential property on July 6...

MURCHISON, Texas—Five years ago, Humane Society International rescued over 200 wild exotic animals from decrepit, barren and disturbing conditions at St. Edouard Zoo, an unaccredited facility in Canada. The animals were taken to sanctuaries and qualified facilities throughout North America...

The scene was as grim as it gets: dozens of dogs confined to dilapidated hutches, leaking in the pouring rain, and dozens more— nearly 140 in all—crammed into filthy campers and a single mobile home. They cowered in groups, big dogs and small, some nearly hairless from skin conditions, others...

Someone must have been bringing food and water to the husky mixes at the junk-strewn property just off the interstate near Las Vegas, New Mexico. But when our Animal Rescue Team arrived in March, there were only scraps of kibble on the frozen, feces-caked ground and a bowl of what looked like mud...

Some 200 dogs are on their way to loving homes after Humane Society International/Korea closed its 18th dog meat farm in March. After nearly three decades in the business and with HSI’s support, Mr. Yang*—a dog meat farmer in Chungcheong province—will retire his business and transition to growing...

INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana’s law prohibiting direct public contact with big cats and bears goes into effect on July 1. Implementation of this law brings much needed protection for some of the animals who have been subjected to public handling and forced to live in abysmal facilities in the state...