IDA Tracks Davenport Elephants To Massachusetts - Finds Tina, Queenie And An Emaciated Jewel At Shrine Circus In Springfield

You can help! Click here to learn more, and to send an e-mail to your Senators, Representative, and USDA Secretary Vilsack in five minutes or less!

Interior Secretary Salazar Has Until Friday To Protect Polar Bears

One of George W. Bush's 11th-hour decisions was a special rule that weakened protections for the polar bear by exempting greenhouse gas emissions - the number-one threat to the bear - from regulation under the Endangered Species Act. Congress, however, passed special legislation granting President Barack Obama's Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, 60 days to revoke the damaging Bush regulations with the stroke of a pen. Secretary Salazar's deadline is this Friday, May 8. Click here to give him a polite nudge! Make your voice heard.

European Union And Russia Act To Ban Seal Products

The 25-country European Union legislated a ban on all seal products in member states (excluding some products from Inuit and Native American communities), and Russia has banned the killing of Harp Seals less than one year old. Responding to Europeans’ vocal and fervent opposition to the seal trade, these actions may finally topple the notoriously grotesque Canadian seal hunt.

Survey Says - Animals Are Family Members, Not Property

A message from IDA's President, Dr. Elliot M. Katz:

A recent survey by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) found 98 percent of Americans think of their animal companions as members of their family, with only 2 percent thinking of their animal companions as merely a piece of property. Because of the very special bond that develops between families and their animal companions, cities across the country are adding the term "guardian" to their animal-related ordinances. As a result, millions of people have thrown off the outdated mantle of “animal owner,” replacing it with “animal guardian.”

What better way to achieve a more just and compassionate world, than to see and treat our animal companions as more than mere commodities, property, objects or things?

With the month of May designated as Animal Guardian Month, I urge you to look into the eyes and hearts of your animal companions, promising them, that you will always be their advocate and protector—very simply put, their Guardian—that they will always receive your love and attention, and appropriate veterinary medical care.

Please contact me for a Guardian Pack, so you can start the process of getting the term "Guardian" included in your community's animal-related ordinances. - Elliot M. Katz, DVM, President, IDA