Breaking News: IDA's Project Hope - Rescue Of Many Dogs In Progress!

IDA's Project Hope sanctuary and Mississippi Spay & Neuter (MS SPAN) are teaming up to spay and neuter scores of dogs released to IDA by a Mississippi woman. Once a breeder, she’d fallen on hard times and couldn’t feed or properly care for the dogs. IDA's Doll Stanley, pictured here with one of the dogs, led the rescue.

The woman, who had over 60 dogs, refused to abandon them when hard times hit, even remaining in a rental house with no north wall. When asked what she did in inclement weather she responded, “I wrap up and sit on the porch.”

On Friday, February 5, 20 of the dogs will be spayed. IDA and MS SPAN hope this event will bring attention to the plight of homeless and abused companion animals across Mississippi through the promotion of affordable, low cost, high volume spay/neuter of animals.

Project Hope is already working to place the dogs in homes. Click here to read more, and stay tuned for information coming soon about how you can help these dogs.

More Breaking News - Huge West Hollywood Victory For Dogs and Cats

This week, the West Hollywood, California City Council voted to ban the sale of dogs and cats acquired from puppy/kitten mills. The ordinance passed unanimously, and now pet stores in the city will only be able to display dogs and cats from shelters. Click here to see the CBS story, and click here to see the NBC story.

IDA's Bill Dyer spoke eloquently in favor of the ordinance, reminding that West Hollywood was the second city to adopt the IDA-recommended "guardian" language instead of "owner," and also noting that West Hollywood bans de-clawing of cats: "This unprecedented, historic action, in this Guardian city where the de-clawing of cats is also banned, will send a signal throughout our country for others to follow. West Hollywood will always be remembered as the city that had the foresight and compassion to first end the horrible commerce of puppy mills in our society."

Elephants Suffering In Cold Climate Zoos

This week IDA released an unprecedented survey showing that scores of elephants are held in zoos in cold climates, where frigid winter temperatures force the Earth’s largest land mammals indoors into tiny concrete cells for the vast majority of each day during the winter.

Cold weather dramatically increases the suffering that elephants already endure in zoos, where increased indoor confinement adds to the physical and psychological problems caused by lack of space and mental stimulation. These include painful and often-fatal foot disease and arthritis, and aberrant behaviors such as aggression and repetitive rocking and swaying.

Yet 31 out of 75 AZA-accredited zoos holding elephants in the U.S. and Canada are situated in cold climates, with three out of four of those zoos averaging mean temperatures below freezing for two to five consecutive months each year. For elephants, this means countless long hours spent standing on cold, hard concrete in barren and often windowless cages.

Click here to read more, and see what you can do to help. 

Queenie Still Needs Your Help

You will remember that the elephant Queenie, or Boo, was left behind with abusive circus trainer Will Davenport in August as her companions Tina and Jewel were taken by the USDA and sent to the San Diego Zoo for badly needed medical care. All three elephants were victims of  Davenport’s negligence and inhumane care, but the agency claimed to only have grounds for taking the two. We cannot forget the last image we have of Queenie, tied to a tree and bellowing, as the truck holding her companions pulled away, leaving her to an uncertain future.

IDA is asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to investigate Queenie’s health and current circumstances. Please click here to read more, and to see how you can help.

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