Although difficult to believe, there are still dozens of pets that die every year due to neglectful owners leaving them trapped and helpless in a hot car. We’re happy to see that the state of Tennessee has recently taken action to help prevent these tragedies from occurring and have a cheer for the expansion of a law that now makes it legal for citizens to break the window of a car to free a trapped animal.
According to the Johnson City Press, Fifth District Rep. David Hawk, from Greeneville, helped expand the state’s Good Samaritan law to vehicle-bound animals from its previous version, allowing someone to rescue a child from a vehicle if it were necessary for the safety of the occupant. It will now also prevent a person from being sued if they were to break into a car to rescue a hot dog or cat.
Rep. Hawk celebrates the momentum of the bill as a victory for domestic animals, who are a part of many families in the state on the level of a child.
“It's good for folks to know that they have this ability to take action should a possible tragic event happen,” Hawk said.
These fatalities are needless and all to common during the summer! It’s critical that pet owners keep their animal’s safety a top priority while traveling with them in a vehicle. Scientific studies have shown that cracking a window in your car for your pet doesn’t stop the heat from increasing and that temperatures in a car with a window cracked can equal those of a car with the windows closed in a small amount of time. Studies have also shown that even temperatures as low as 72 degrees outside can cause the interior of the car to reach as high as 116 degrees in an hour.
Does your state have ordinances that address leaving animals unattended in vehicles? You can check this website to find out: Find your state’s current animal protection laws (doing a word search for “vehicle” is helpful).
We have a cheer for the Bombay high court in the city of Mumbai, India, which ruled this week that Mumbai's famous horse-drawn carriages, popularly known as “Victorias,” are “illegal” and must go off the city streets in a year.
The BBC reported that Monday's court order came on a petition filed by animal rights groups, which said the horses were often malnourished, denied adequate rest and care. The court agreed that the practice was cruel.
“Using horse-driven carriages only for joyrides solely for human pleasure is an avoidable activity,” the court order said.
The court also ordered that all stables where the horses are kept must be closed down and directed the authorities to come up with a scheme to rehabilitate those involved in the trade.
Styled on open carriages used during Queen Victoria's times, the horse-drawn carriages have been seen on Mumbai's streets since British times.
Friends of Animals hopes that New York City will follow suit and ban the carriage horse industry. New Yorkers can help FoA get horses off New York City streets and into waiting sanctuaries by contact your City Council Member about supporting Bill #573, which will ban this cruel industry once and for all. To find your legislator, click on this link.
#Cheers to a new report that shows that greenhouses and nursery growers across the U.S. are taking proactive steps to make their businesses bee friendly by phasing out the use of bee-toxic pesticides.
The report explains, ”[A]lthough nursery and greenhouse use of these insecticides may not be comparable in quantity to agricultural use, it is highly targeted to plants that are grown intentionally for their flowers — plants that are attractive to pollinators. Hence, there are heightened concerns about neonicotinoids in nursery production.”
We addressed the dangers of neonics, the bee-toxic pesticides, in our most recent edition of Action Line magazine. According to the nonprofit advocacy group Center for Food Safety, one out of every three bites of food we eat is from a crop pollinated by honey bees, yet over the past decade, there has been an alarming decline in honey bee populations around the world. Commercial beekeepers lost an average of 36 percent of their hives in 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More recently, beekeepers have reported average annual losses of 40 to 50 percent, with some as high as 100 percent.
That’s why we’re glad to see progress for the future of the world’s honey bees, especially given their importance in our agricultural system!
Our plant-based dinner plates wouldn’t look the same without pollinators. Here are some of the foods we’d miss.
- Cherries
- Cucumbers
- Celery
- Plums
- Watermelon
- Tangerine
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Mangos
- Lemons
- Peanuts
- Eggplant
- Grapes
- Green onion
- Cauliflower
- Leeks
- Bok choy
- Broccoli rabe
- Mustard greens
There's still progress to be made, however, so check out these tips on how you can take action to protect pollinators near you!
1. Use these resources to create a neonic ban in your community. Center for Food Safety; Beyond Pesticides ; Beyond Toxics
2. Stop using these popular products that contain neonics. Any of the Bayer 2-in-1, 3-in-1, or All-in-One garden insecticides; Green Light Tree and Shrub Insect Control; Complete Brand Insect Killer; and Ortho Rose and Flower Insect Killer. A complete list of products to avoid can be found right here.
3. Create a pollinator-friendly habitat. Upload the Bee Protective Habitat Guide, which provides tips on what to plant based on where you live in the United States.
4. Learn more about alternative options to pesticides.
5. Support the Safe Pollinator Act. Write to or call your U.S. Representatives and tell them you will support the Safe Pollinator Act when it’s reintroduced in the 114th Congress. Write or call your U.S. Senators and tell them to introduce companion legislation that addresses the issue of neonics.
6. Educate yourself about the impacts of chemical use on the food you eat.